The Respiratory System
[ image 1 ] [ image 2 ][ image 3 ] [ Lungs ]
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 left lung to reflect it.