Relative Position of the Lungs, Heart and Other Organs. 179 



In the Horse the diaphragm is attached by its outer border to 

 the last rib, and to the lower ends of all the asternal ribs, and the 

 extremity of the breast bone. A thin layer of lung accordingly 

 extends to between the two last ribs superiorly and down to near 

 the lower end of the asternal ribs. The subjacent abdominal 

 organs are arranged as follows : — On the left side, and counting 

 from below, the large intestines (double colon), the stomach and 

 spleen and a portion of the left lobe of the liver : — on the right 

 side, below, the large intestines, above, the liver and pancreas. 

 Of these the stomach and intestines frequently contain gases, 

 while the liver by its solidity gives a special solid character to the 

 right posterior part of the chest. The spleen is too deeply 

 situated to affect much the results of a physical examination. 

 The greatest substance of lung is between the upper and middle 

 thirds of the thorax. The anterior third is inaccessible on 

 account of the shoulders, but more than usual may be reached by 

 raising the fore limb and drawing it forcibly forwards. The 

 space between the third and seventh ribs is occupied by the solid 

 mass of the heart, which especially modified the result of physical 

 examination on the left side where a notch in the lung allows it 

 to approach the surface- 



In the ox the diaphragm is only attached to the last rib for two 

 or three inches at its upper extremity ; it is fixed to the second last 

 rib as far down as about one-third of its length ; thereafter it is 

 attached in succession to the middle third of the third last, to the 

 lower third of the fourth last, to the lower ends of the next two in 

 succession and to the sternum. The result is that the lungs do not 

 extend so far back relatively to the ribs as they do in the horse. 

 They are virtually absent from the last intercostal space, present 

 only in the upper third of the second last, in the upper two thirds 

 of the third last and reach the lower third only in the space be- 

 tween the ninth and tenth ribs. The paunch alone occupies the 

 space beneath the asternal ribs on the left side, and the liver and 

 the solid mass of the omasum and abomasum that beneath the 

 right. The shoulders in fat improved beef breeds absolutely pre- 

 vent examination of the anterior third of the chest, though in 

 thin animals and dairy breeds and scrubs more of this may be ex- 

 posed by raising the fore limb than in the horse. The heart cor- 

 responding in position to the third, fourth and fifth intercostal 



