LOCATE AND NAME THE

MAJOR BODY CAVITIES

AND THEIR SUBDIVISION
 Bodycavities are spaces inside the
body which contain, protect,
separate, and support internal
organs.
There are two major cavities of the
body which contain internal
organs: the Dorsal (posterior) and
Ventral (anterior) cavities.
DORSAL CAVITY
 Is
subdivided into the cranial cavity ,
which houses the brain, and vertebral
canal, which in turn contains the
spinal cord. Observe in the figure
mentioned above how the cranial
bones and the vertebral column. Form
the walls of the dorsal cavity and offer
protection for these delicate organs.
VENTRAL CAVITY
 Is divided by the diaphragm, a thin dome-shaped sheet
of muscle, into a superior thoracic cavity as well as
inferior abdominopelnic cavity, The thoracic cavity is
guarded by the ribcage and contains the hearts and
lungs. The abdominopelvic cavity is guarded subdivided
into a superior abdominal cavity and an inferior pelvic
cavity, however, there is no structural separation, think
of a transverse plane passing through the body just
superior to the pelvis. The abdominal cavity includes the
stomach, intestine, liver, gallbladeen, pancreas, spleen,
and kidneys. The pelvic cavity includes the urinary
bladder, sigmoid colon, rectum, and internal
reproductive organs.
There are additional body cavities which we
will only discuss in the lecture. There are
the cavities created by serous membrane –
the pleural cavities, the pericandial cavity,
and the peritoreal cavity – and the
reudiastinum
• Dorsal body cavity – the cranial cavity and the spinal cavity in
combination.
• Cranial cavity – the space occupied by the brain, encloped by
the skull bones.
• Spinal cavity – the space occupied by the spinal cord enclosed
by the vertebrea column making up the backbone. The spinal
cavity is continuos with the cranial cavity.
• Vertial body cavity – the thoraic cavity, the abdominal cavity,
and the pelvic cavity in conbination.
• Thoracic cavity – the space occupied by the vertral internal
organs superior to the diaphragm.
• Abdominopelvic cavity – the abdominal and the pelvic cavity
in combination.