dorsal body cavity - The closed, membrane-lined sterile anatomical space which houses and protects the

central nervous system; its lining are the three connective tissue layers known as the meninges (dura
mater, arachnoid, and pia mater); it is located medially on the posterior of the head and trunk and
housed within the confines of the skull and vertebrae; its walls are formed by the flat bones of the skull
superiorly and the vertebral centra and vertebral arches inferiorly; it is arbitrarily subdivided into a
cranial cavity containing the brain and a vertebral cavity containing the spinal cord and the roots of the
spinal nerves.

ventral body cavity - The closed, membrane-lined sterile anatomical space which houses various internal
organs; its lining are various serous membranes; it is located medially on the anterior of the trunk and
housed within the confines of the rib cage and trunk musculature; it is subdivided into (1) a thoracic
cavity containing the lungs, heart, and the organs of the mediastinum, and (2) an abdominopelvic cavity
with two partially separated subcompartments: (a) an abdominal cavity containing the stomach, liver,
intestines, and spleen, and (b) a pelvic cavity containing some of the reproductive organs, the urinary
bladder, and the distal colon; this cavity provides a protected space for those organs.

abdominopelvic cavity - The closed, membrane-lined sterile anatomical space which houses various
internal organs, particularly those of the digestive system; its lining is a serous membrane, the
peritoneal membrane; it is located medially on the anterior of the trunk, inferior to the thoracic cavity,
and housed within the confines of the trunk musculature; it is arbitrarily subdivided into (1) an
abdominal cavity containing the stomach, liver, intestines, and spleen (2) a pelvic cavity containing some
of the reproductive organs, the urinary bladder, and the distal colon; it provides a protected space for
those organs.

dorsal body cavity - The closed, membrane-lined sterile anatomical space which houses and protects the
central nervous system; its lining are the three connective tissue layers known as the meninges (dura
mater, arachnoid, and pia mater); it is located medially on the posterior of the head and trunk and
housed within the confines of the skull and vertebrae; its walls are formed by the flat bones of the skull
superiorly and the vertebral centra and vertebral arches inferiorly; it is arbitrarily subdivided into a
cranial cavity containing the brain and a vertebral cavity containing the spinal cord and the roots of the
spinal nerves.

cranial cavity - The partially closed, membrane-lined sterile anatomical space, a subdivision of the dorsal
body cavity, which houses the superior portion of the central nervous system, i.e., the brain; its walls are
formed by the flat bones of the skull; its lining are the three connective tissue layers known as the
cerebral meninges, i.e., the dura mater, arachnoid, and pia mater; it is located medially on the posterior
of the head and housed within the confines of the skull; it contains the brain, various cerebral blood
vessels, the pituitary gland, and the roots of the cranial nerves; it provides a protected space for the
brain.
vertebral cavity - The partially closed, membrane-lined sterile anatomical space, a subdivision of the
dorsal body cavity, which houses the inferior portion of the central nervous system, i.e., the spinal cord;
its walls are formed by the vertebral centra and vertebral arches; its lining are the three connective
tissue layers known as the spinal meninges, i.e., the dura mater, arachnoid, and pia mater; it is located
medially on the posterior of the trunk and housed within the confines of the vertebrae; it contains the
spinal cord, various spinal blood vessels, adipose tissue, and the roots of the spinal nerves; it provides a
protected space for the spinal cord.

ventral body cavity - The closed, membrane-lined sterile anatomical space which houses various internal
organs; its lining are various serous membranes; it is located medially on the anterior of the trunk and
housed within the confines of the rib cage and trunk musculature; it is subdivided into (1) a thoracic
cavity containing the lungs, heart, and the organs of the mediastinum, and (2) an abdominopelvic cavity
with two partially separated subcompartments: (a) an abdominal cavity containing the stomach, liver,
intestines, and spleen, and (b) a pelvic cavity containing some of the reproductive organs, the urinary
bladder, and the distal colon; this cavity provides a protected space for those organs.

thoracic cavity - The closed, partially membrane-lined sterile anatomical space, a subdivision of the
ventral body cavity, which houses the lungs, heart, and the organs of the mediastinum; its linings are the
three serous membranes known as the pleural membranes and the pericardial membrane; it is located
medially on the anterior of the trunk and housed within the confines of the rib cage; it provides a
protected space for those organs.

pleural cavity - The two closed, membrane-lined sterile anatomical spaces, subdivisions of the ventral
body cavity and of the thoracic cavity, which houses the right and left lungs respectively; its lining is the
serous membrane known as the pleural membrane; it is located lateral to the mediastinum and
pericardial sac on the anterior of the trunk and housed within the confines of the rib cage; it provides a
protected space for the lungs.

pericardial cavity - The closed, membrane-lined sterile anatomical space, a subdivision of the ventral
body cavity and of the thoracic cavity, which houses the heart; its lining is the serous membrane known
as the pericardial membrane; it is located within the inferior portion of the mediastinum on the anterior
of the trunk and beneath the sternum within the confines of the rib cage; it provides a protected,
lubricated space for the heart to contract.
mediastinum - The closed sterile anatomical space, not lined by a serous membrane, a subdivision of the
ventral body cavity and of the thoracic cavity, which houses the heart in its pericardial sac, the great
vessels, the trachea, the esophagus, and the thymus; it is located medially between the two pleural
cavities to the right and left and between the thoracic vertebral column and the sternum.

abdominopelvic cavity - The closed, membrane-lined sterile anatomical space which houses various
internal organs, particularly those of the digestive system; its lining is a serous membrane, the
peritoneal membrane; it is located medially on the anterior of the trunk, inferior to the thoracic cavity,
and housed within the confines of the trunk musculature; it is arbitrarily subdivided into (1) an
abdominal cavity containing the stomach, liver, intestines, and spleen (2) a pelvic cavity containing some
of the reproductive organs, the urinary bladder, and the distal colon; it provides a protected space for
those organs.

abdominal cavity - The partially closed, membrane-lined sterile anatomical space which houses certain
internal organs, the stomach, liver, intestines, and spleen; its lining is a serous membrane, a portion of
the peritoneal membrane; it is located superiorly within the abdominopelvic cavity, bounded superiorly
by the diaphragm muscle and inferiorly by the pelvic cavity, with which it is continuous; it provides a
protected space for those organs.

pelvic cavity - The partially closed, membrane-lined sterile anatomical space which houses some of the
reproductive organs, the urinary bladder, and the distal colon; its lining is a serous membrane, a portion
of the peritoneal membrane; it is located inferiorly within the abdominopelvic cavity, bounded
superiorly by the abdominal cavity, with which it is continuous, and inferiorly by the walls of the pelvic
girdle and its musculature; it provides a protected space for those organs.