The Respiratory System

Remember from a looong looooong time ago, you learned that the body cavities are lined by a simple squamous epithelium called a mesothelium. In the thoracic cavity, it is called pleura. The pleura on the cavity walls is the parietal pleura (A), and that on the lungs (or viscera) is the visceral pleura (B). A thin fibrous septum, covered on each side by pleura, divides the thoracic cavity. This septum is called the mediastinum. What structures are contained within the mediastinum? Click on the [image 2] button to reflect the left lung.