What Is the Meaning of Thoracic?
The word "thoracic" can apply to a number of distinctly different things depending on species and context. The word indicates that some aspect of the chest or upper body is being considered.
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Thorax and Thoracic.
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The word "thoracic" is an adjective derived from the word "thorax." The word thorax means slightly different things when applied to different species and phyla, but the term always involves the upper body or chest area of an animal. In humans, that area is primarily the space contained by the ribs, upper spine, sternum and clavicles. The word "thoracic" itself simply means "about or pertaining to the thorax."
Significance in Human Medicine
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The human thorax contains the heart and lungs, as well as vital portions of the circulatory system and elements of the digestive system. As a result, it is a major area for medical interest. The word "thoracic" is applied to various forms of medical practice focused on this area of the anatomy. Thoracic surgery is any surgery that intrudes on this area, including heart surgery. Thoracic medicine is a medical specialty dealing with diseases of the organs contained by the chest.
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Exercise
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In sports and exercise the word "thoracic" can apply to muscle groups associated with the chest and upper back, and with skeletal structures in the area. Exercises intended to develop these muscles, or improve the performance of any portion of this area can loosely be called "thoracic exercises." Less commonly used in sports or personal exercise, the term is important in forms of sports therapy addressing injuries from sports activities.
The Insect Thorax
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Insects also have a thorax, however it is quite different than that of humans. An insect body is made up of three distinct sections: the head, the thorax, and the abdomen. When biologists and entomologists use the term "thoracic" while dealing with insects, the subject matter deals with the central body segment. In this context, the word may apply to plates of armoring chiton, to interior organs, to the attachment of the legs, and similar things of or pertaining to an insect's thorax.
Flexibility of Terms
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English speech allows words to be adapted to a wide range of uses. In particular, we often shift a word with a broad meaning to new contexts where some similar element applies. Thus, in any situation where an animal or object such as a machine appears to have a central or upper "chest" area, the terms "thorax" or "thoracic" might be used in an attempt to use metaphor to increase clarity. In these instances, the terms are unlikely to indicate identical functions, organs, or conditions, and merely indicate a generally similar position in the physical layout of the item or being in question.
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References
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- Photo Credit thorax image by Goran Bogicevic from Fotolia.com
