Figure 1.9 a&b.  The Dorsal and Ventral Body Cavities and Subcompartments.

dorsal body cavity - The closed, membrane-lined sterile anatomical space which houses the central nervous system; its lining are the three connective tissue layers known as the meninges; it is located medially on the posterior of the head and trunk and housed within the confines of the skull and vertebrae; 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 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.

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 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.

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 containing the brain and a vertebral cavity containing the spinal cord and the roots of the spinal nerves.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Sketch and Label

4.  cross sections illustrating the dorsal and ventral body cavities and label the cavity subdivisions and label the membranes lining them.