ORGANS OF DIGESTION. 125 



cavity is divided into two parts by the diaphragm (Fig. 

 54). The cephalic portion, the thoracic cavity, contains 

 the esophagus, heart, blood-vessels, thoracic duct, trachea, 

 and lungs. In the young cat there is present also the 

 thymus gland, stretching cephalad several centimeters 

 from the base of the heart. The transparent membrane 

 lining this cavity and investing the lungs is the pleura. 



The caudal part of the body cavity, or coelom, is the 

 abdominal cavity containing the abdominal viscera, 

 which are here briefly described. The liver, a large 

 brownish-red organ, is adjacent to the diaphragm on the 

 right side, while the stomach (Fig. 54) lies close to the 

 diaphragm on the left. The spleen is the dark red, flat, 

 elongated organ caudad of the stomach on the left side. 

 T]ie sheet of thin transparent tissue more or less laden 

 with fat, depending from the stomach and covering the 

 intestines like an apron, is the greater omentum. It is 

 a portion of the peritoneum which lines the abdominal 

 cavity and invests most of the organs therein. The 

 pancreas is a pinkish elongate body, bent at a right 

 angle near its middle, so that one portion lies in the 

 bend of the duodenum and the other dorsal to the stom- 

 ach. The kidneys may be recognized by their well- 

 known shape and dorsal location in the cephalic lumbar 

 region. The ovaries are small pinkish bodies lying near 

 the kidneys, adjacent to the dorsal abdominal wall. 

 The uterus is easily known by its two horns extending 

 caudad from the ovaries to their junction at the body 

 of the uterus. The bladder, if full of urine, is at once 

 recognized; and if empty, appears as a small pear- 



shaped mass ventrad to the rectum (Fig. 54). 



> 





