What do you call the thick sheet of muscle that forms the bottom of your chest cavity?

Question

What is a chest cavity called?

Answer 1

Uh, the diaphragm.
The thorax.

Answer 2

The chest cavity really is the "Thorax" or "Thoracic Cavity". I'm pretty certain that the thick sheet of muscle you are referring to is the diaphragm. The diaphragm is highly elastic and moves up and down. It separates the thorax from the abdomen and is perforated only by blood vessels and the esophagus. So it maintains the pressure in the thorax. As it moves up and down the pressure changes. This change results in the inflation and deflation of the lungs - a bit like a balloon.

Interestinlgy the liver is actually attached to the diaphragm. The heart is on the other side of the diaphragm, so the diaphragm separates heart and lungs from liver, stomach, kidneys, spleen, pancreas, gall bladder, duodenum and so forth.

The ancient Egyptians called the content of the Thorax the "hatys", by which they meant the combination of cardio-vascular and respiratory functions.

Actors and singers are taught to support their entire breathing and vocal functions from the diaphragm which they are encouraged to strengthen. This permits careful modulation of the voice and its various tones and pitches, as well as timbre.

Hope this answers your question to some extent.

B. Lyons

Answer 3

Hrm. Since this is in the Psychology section, I'm thinking that Diaphragm can't be right, since it's the obvious answer. It has to be some deeper, hidden meaning, sorta like a text version of a Rorschach test.

Okay, I'm going to guess Oedipus Complex.

Answer 4

diaphragm |ˈdīəˌfram| noun 1 a dome-shaped, muscular partition separating the thorax from the abdomen in mammals. It plays a major role in breathing, as its contraction increases the volume of the thorax and so inflates the lungs. 2 a thin sheet of material forming a partition. • a taut, flexible membrane in mechanical or acoustic systems. • a thin contraceptive cap fitting over the cervix. 3 a device for varying the effective aperture of the lens in a camera or other optical system. DERIVATIVES diaphragmatic |ˌdīəfragˈmatik| adjective ORIGIN late Middle English : from late Latin diaphragma, from Greek, from dia ‘through, apart’ + phragma ‘a fence.’

Answer 5

NUMOTHOROAXI8S THE MUSCLE AS FOR THE CHEST CAVITY ON SOME PEOPLE ITS CALLED A LARGE HOLE WITH SOME GUTS STRUNG IN IT.

Answer 6

Diaphragm, but I'm not sure this is the best place for that question.

Answer 7

Your diaphragm

Answer 8

your diaphragm

Answer 9

esternochleidomastoideum