106 SURGICAL ANATOMY OP 



CHAPTER III. 



SURGICAL ANATOMY OF THE THORAX. 



IN the region of the thorax it is intended to include 

 that portion of the body comprising the parietes of the 

 chest, which contains the heart, lungs, and the contents 

 of the posterior mediastinum, and is bounded, superiorly, 

 by the superior aperture of the thorax (that is to say, the 

 bony ring formed behind, by the body of the first dorsal 

 .vertebra, on either side, by the first ribs, and anteriorly, 

 by the upper part of the manubrium sterni) ; inferiorfy, 

 by the diaphragm ; and laterally, by the ribs and inter- 

 costal muscles, above the limit of the diaphragm, to the 

 exclusion of such structures as are regarded as belonging 

 to the upper extremity namely, those entering into the 

 formation of the axilla, which region will be hereafter 

 described. 



The applied anatomy of the thorax is rather the prov- 

 ince of the physician than the surgeon, yet at the same 

 time there is so much in common that, with regard to 

 physical examination, it will be advisable to devote 

 some little space to the subject. 



Before going into any details of its structure it is nec- 

 essary to point out the relations of its contents with 

 reference to the walls of the chest such in fact as relate 

 to the auscultation or percussion of the lungs, heart, and 

 great vessels. As, however, these matters are to be 



