¶ … Human Body Cavity

The internal human body cavity is the central mass of human anatomy and contains all the major organs. The upper region is incased within a skeletal cage growing out of the spinal column designed to protect the most important organs that are critical for life. The rib cage surrounds the two lobes of the lungs and the heart that lies in-between

them just slightly to the left of the spine (Iazzetti & Rigutti, 2007). Immediately below the rib cage, the stomach lies close to the middle of the central mass flanked by the liver occupying the right side of the major cavity and the much smaller spleen on the other side of the stomach. Two kidneys lie below the liver and spleen and toward the rear of the torso (Iazzetti & Rigutti, 2007).

The rest of the space in body cavity is taken up by approximately fifteen feet of small intestine and three or four feet of large intestine. The small intestine is smaller in diameter than the large intestine and is arranged in a large roughly square-shaped coil whose outermost loop begins near the lower portion of the stomach and whose lowest loops lie near the base of the pelvis. The large intestine begins near the lower coils of the small intestines but then ascends up the right side and bend back over the top of the highest loop of the small intestine. Several layers of muscle and sinewy tissue wrap around the area housing the internal organs (Iazzetti & Rigutti, 2007).

The other organs located in the major body cavity include the bladder, gall bladder, and pancreas. In addition, the female body cavity also contains a uterus.

Besides the major internal organs, there are major blood vessels that run down the body cavity directly from the heart and branch off to smaller arteries and veins that carry blood throughout the rest of the body (Iazzetti & Rigutti, 2007).

References

Iazzetti, G, Rigutti, E. (2007). Atlas of Anatomy. London: TAJ Books.