A tale of two systems: The tracts of my tears

Most of the terms in Terminologia Anatomica are arranged by organ systems (systemata); however, the names for these systems are often used by physiologists and other biomedical scientists for related functional systems. These functional systems may differ in their composition from the anatomist's organ systems. In addition, many functional systems have been described that do not correspond to organ systems. Similarly, the non-standard anatomical terms alimentary tract, respiratory tract, urinary tract and reproductive tract lack a consistent meaning in the biomedical sciences. For clear communication, one should be cautious when using terms that may have other meanings in other disciplines. This appears to be particularly true for high level terms in the nomenclature of systematic anatomy.