The Abdomen
is the largest cavity in the body. It is of an oval form, the extremities of
the oval being directed upward and downward: the upper one being formed by
the under surface of the Diaphragm, the lower by the upper concave surface of
the Levatores ani. In order to facilitate description, it is artificially
divided into two parts: an upper and larger part, the abdomen proper; and a lower
and smaller part, the pelvis. These two cavities are not separated from each other,
but the limit between them is marked by the brim of the true pelvis. The
space is wider above than below, and measures more in the vertical
than in the transverse diameter.
The abdomen proper differs from the
other great cavities of the body in being
bounded for the most part by muscles and fascire,
so that it can vary in capacity and shape according to the condition of the
viscera which it contains; but, in addition to this, the abdomen varies in
form and extent with age and sex. In the adult male, with moderate distention
of the viscera, it is oval or barrel-shaped, but at the same time flattened
from before backward. In the adult female, with a fully developed pelvis, it
is conical with the apex above, and in young children it
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