Body cavity - Preparing for Professional Practice PDF

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Hear This Illustration: Body cavities In undertaking the study of a complex topic like human anatomy, it is helpful to approach larger concepts by breaking them into smaller parts. This strategy is illustrated very well in Figure 1.6 that shows body cavities or spaces. Two large cavities, the posterior and anterior are subdivided into smaller compartments. The colors in this figure are useful in trying to define the limits of these spaces. The accompanying table describes which organs are found in each of the spaces. The posterior cavities are enclosed by bone and protect the brain and spinal cord. The anterior cavity is the most complex and contains the majority of the visceral organs. The diaphragm divides the anterior cavity into the thoracic and the abdominopelvic cavities. Within the thoracic cavity there are three subdivisions, of which two cavities are defined by a serous membrane. Thus the pericardial membrane surrounds the heart and the pleural membrane surrounds the lungs. While the pericardium overlies the heart, the heart is technically contained within the space we call the mediastinum. The abdominopelvic cavity is also subdivided into two smaller cavities: the abdominal and the pelvic. The difference here is that there is no distinct membranous or muscular separation defining the two. The peritoneum, the serous membrane in the anterior cavity, surrounds most of the organs in these smaller cavities. However, parts of some organs, and all of some organs, are found outside of the peritoneum, a condition known as retroperitoneal....