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The chest is a part of the anatomy
Anatomy

Anatomy is a branch of biology that is the consideration of the body plan. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy and plant anatomy ....
 of humans and various other animals sometimes referred to as the thorax
Thorax

The thorax is a division of an animal's body that lies between the head and the abdomen.In mammals, the thorax is the region of the body formed by the sternum, the thoracic vertebrae and the ribs....
.

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Hominidae

The Hominidae form a taxonomic biological family, including four extant genus: Homo s, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans.A number of known extinct genera are grouped with humans in the Hominina subtribe, others with orangutans in the Ponginae subtribe....
s, the chest is the region of the body between the neck
Neck

The neck is the part of the body on many limbed vertebrates that distinguishes the head from the torso or trunk. The scientific term signifying "of the neck" is nuchal....
 and the abdomen
Abdomen

In vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity....
, along with its internal organs
Organ (anatomy)

In biology, an organ is a biological tissue that performs a specific function or group of functions. Usually there is a main tissue and sporadic tissues....
 and other contents. It is mostly protected and supported by the ribcage, spine
Vertebral column

In human anatomy, the vertebral column is a column of 24 vertebrae, the sacrum, intervertebral discs, and the coccyx situated in the dorsum aspect of the torso, separated by spinal discs....
, and shoulder
Shoulder

In human anatomy, the shoulder joint comprises the part of the body where the humerus attaches to the scapula. The shoulder refers to the group of structures in the region of the joint....
 girdle. Contents of the chest include the following: In humans, the portion of the chest protected by the ribcage is also called the thorax
Thorax

The thorax is a division of an animal's body that lies between the head and the abdomen.In mammals, the thorax is the region of the body formed by the sternum, the thoracic vertebrae and the ribs....
.

nsects and other creatures with an exoskeleton
Exoskeleton

An exoskeleton is an external skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body, in contrast to the internal endoskeleton of, for example, a human skeleton....
, the area corresponding to the chest is called the thorax
Thorax

The thorax is a division of an animal's body that lies between the head and the abdomen.In mammals, the thorax is the region of the body formed by the sternum, the thoracic vertebrae and the ribs....
.

In four legged mammals, the mammary glands and nipples are located closer to the back legs, and are therefore not part of the chest.






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The chest is a part of the anatomy
Anatomy

Anatomy is a branch of biology that is the consideration of the body plan. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy and plant anatomy ....
 of humans and various other animals sometimes referred to as the thorax
Thorax

The thorax is a division of an animal's body that lies between the head and the abdomen.In mammals, the thorax is the region of the body formed by the sternum, the thoracic vertebrae and the ribs....
.

Chest anatomy - Humans and other hominids

In hominid
Hominidae

The Hominidae form a taxonomic biological family, including four extant genus: Homo s, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans.A number of known extinct genera are grouped with humans in the Hominina subtribe, others with orangutans in the Ponginae subtribe....
s, the chest is the region of the body between the neck
Neck

The neck is the part of the body on many limbed vertebrates that distinguishes the head from the torso or trunk. The scientific term signifying "of the neck" is nuchal....
 and the abdomen
Abdomen

In vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity....
, along with its internal organs
Organ (anatomy)

In biology, an organ is a biological tissue that performs a specific function or group of functions. Usually there is a main tissue and sporadic tissues....
 and other contents. It is mostly protected and supported by the ribcage, spine
Vertebral column

In human anatomy, the vertebral column is a column of 24 vertebrae, the sacrum, intervertebral discs, and the coccyx situated in the dorsum aspect of the torso, separated by spinal discs....
, and shoulder
Shoulder

In human anatomy, the shoulder joint comprises the part of the body where the humerus attaches to the scapula. The shoulder refers to the group of structures in the region of the joint....
 girdle. Contents of the chest include the following:
  • organs
    • heart
      Heart

      The heart is a muscle organ in all vertebrates responsible for pumping blood through the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions, or a similar structure in annelids, mollusks, and arthropods....
    • lungs
  • muscles
    • major
      Pectoralis major muscle

      The Pectoralis major is a thick, fan-shaped muscle, situated at the upper front of the chest wall. It makes up the bulk of the chest muscles in the male and lies under the breast in the female....
       and minor
      Pectoralis minor muscle

      The Pectoralis minor is a thin, triangular muscle, situated at the upper part of the chest, beneath the Pectoralis major....
       pectoral
      Pectoral

      Pectoral, from the Latin pectoralis , "pertaining to the breast/chest", can refer to:* Pectoral cross, a cross worn on the chest* a decorative, usually jeweled version of a gorget...
       muscles
    • trapezius muscle
      Trapezius muscle

      In human anatomy, the trapezius is a large superficial muscle which extends longitudinally from the occipital bone to the lower thoracic vertebrae, and laterally to the spine of the scapula ....
      s and neck
      Neck

      The neck is the part of the body on many limbed vertebrates that distinguishes the head from the torso or trunk. The scientific term signifying "of the neck" is nuchal....
  • internal structures
    • diaphragm
    • esophagus
      Esophagus

      The esophagus or oesophagus , sometimes known as the gullet, is an Organ in vertebrates which consists of a Muscle tube through which food passes from the pharynx to the stomach....
    • trachea
      Vertebrate trachea

      The traceartes, or windpipe, is a tube that has an inner diameter of about 20-25 mm and a length of about 10-16 cm in humans. It commences at the larynx and bifurcates into the primary bronchus in mammals, and from the pharynx to the syrinx in birds, allowing the passage of air to the lungs....
    • xiphoid process
      Xiphoid process

      The xiphoid Process , also known as the xiphisternum is a small Cartilage extension to the lower part of the sternum which is usually Ossification in the adult human....
  • arteries and veins
    • aorta
      Aorta

      The aorta is the largest artery in the human body, originating from the left ventricle of the heart and bringing oxygenated blood to all parts of the body in the systemic circulation....
    • superior vena cava
      Superior vena cava

      The superior vena cava is a large, yet short vein that carries deoxygenated blood from the upper half of the body to the heart's right atrium....
    • inferior vena cava
      Inferior vena cava

      The inferior vena cava is the large vein that carries de-oxygenated blood from the lower half of the body into the right atrium of the heart....
    • pulmonary artery
      Pulmonary artery

      The pulmonary arteries carry blood from heart to the lungs. They are the only artery that carry deoxygenated blood.In the human heart, the pulmonary trunk begins at the base of the right ventricle....
  • bones
    • the shoulder socket containing the upper part of the humerus
      Humerus

      The humerus is a long bone in the arm or forelimb that runs from the shoulder to the elbow.Anatomically, it connects the scapula and the ulna, and consists of the following three sections:...
    • scapula
      Scapula

      In anatomy, the scapula, omo, or shoulder blade, is the bone that connects the humerus with the clavicle .The scapula forms the posterior part of the shoulder girdle....
    • sternum
      Sternum

      The sternum is a long flat bone located in the center of the chest . It connects to the rib via cartilage, forming the rib cage with them, and thus helps to protect the lungs, heart and major blood vessels from physical trauma....
    • thoracic portion of the spine
      Thoracic vertebrae

      The 12 thoracic vertebrae compose the middle segment of the vertebral column, between the cervical vertebrae and the lumbar vertebrae. They are intermediate in size between those of the cervical and lumbar regions; they increase in size as one proceeds down the spine, the upper vertebrae being much smaller than those in the lower part of the...
    • collarbone
    • ribcage
    • Floating rib
      Floating rib

      Floating ribs are four atypical ribs in the human ribcage. They are called so because they are attached to the vertebrae only, and not to the sternum or cartilage coming off of the sternum....
      s
  • external structures
    • nipple
      Nipple

      In its most general form, a nipple is a structure from which a fluid emanates. More specifically, it is the projection on the breasts of a mammal by which breast milk is delivered to a mother's young....
      s
    • mammary gland
      Mammary gland

      Mammary glands are the organ s that, in mammals, produce milk for the sustenance of the young. These exocrine glands are enlarged and modified sweat glands and give mammals their name....
      s
  • thoracic abdomen (stomach
    Stomach

    In most mammals, the stomach is a hollow muscular organ of the gastrointestinal tract involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication....
    , kidney
    Kidney

    The kidneys are Organ that have numerous biological roles. Their primary role is to maintain the homeostasis balance of bodily fluids by filtering and secreting Metabolomics#Metabolitess and minerals from the blood and excreting them, along with water , as urine....
    /adrenal, pancreas
    Pancreas

    The pancreas is a gland Organ in the digestive system and endocrine system of vertebrates. It is both an endocrine gland , as well as an exocrine gland, secreting pancreatic juice containing Digestion enzymes that pass to the small intestine....
    , spleen
    Spleen

    The spleen is an organ found in all vertebrate animals. In humans, the spleen is located in the abdomen of the body, where it functions in the destruction of redundant red blood cells, and holds a reservoir of blood....
    , and lower oesophagus)
In humans, the portion of the chest protected by the ribcage is also called the thorax
Thorax

The thorax is a division of an animal's body that lies between the head and the abdomen.In mammals, the thorax is the region of the body formed by the sternum, the thoracic vertebrae and the ribs....
.

Chest anatomy - Other animals

Tsetse Fly
In insects and other creatures with an exoskeleton
Exoskeleton

An exoskeleton is an external skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body, in contrast to the internal endoskeleton of, for example, a human skeleton....
, the area corresponding to the chest is called the thorax
Thorax

The thorax is a division of an animal's body that lies between the head and the abdomen.In mammals, the thorax is the region of the body formed by the sternum, the thoracic vertebrae and the ribs....
.

In four legged mammals, the mammary glands and nipples are located closer to the back legs, and are therefore not part of the chest. Otherwise, the anatomy contains similar internal organs in different configurations.

Chest injury

Injury to the chest (also referred to as chest trauma, thoracic injury, or thoracic trauma) results in up to ¼ of all deaths due to trauma
Physical trauma

Physical trauma refers to a body injury. A trauma patient is someone who has suffered serious and life-threatening physical injury with the potential for secondary complications such as Shock , respiratory failure and death....
 in the United States.

See also

  • Thoracic cavity
    Thoracic cavity

    The thoracic cavity is the body cavity of the human body that is protected by the thoracic wall ....
  • Pectus excavatum
    Pectus excavatum

    Pectus excavatum is the most common congenital deformity of the anterior wall of the chest, in which several ribs and the sternum grow abnormally....
  • Pectus carinatum
    Pectus carinatum

    Pectus carinatum, also called pigeon chest, is a deformity of the chest characterized by a protrusion of the sternum and ribs....
  • Breast
    Breast

    The breast is the upper ventral region of an animal?s torso, particularly that of mammals, including human beings. The breasts of a female primate?s body contain the mammary glands, which secrete milk used to feed infants....
  • Chest hair
    Chest hair

    The term chest hair is generally used to describe hair that grows on the chest of human males, in the region between the neck and the human abdomen....
  • Barechested
    Barechested

    Going bare chested refers to a man wearing no Clothing above the waist exposing the entire torso and chest area. It is also known as "stripped to the waist", or "being shirtless"....