Dorsal and Ventral · What Are They, Differences, and More

Dorsal and ventral are paired anatomical terms used to describe opposite locations on a body that is in the anatomical position. The anatomical position of a human body is defined as a body standing upright with the head facing forward, arms down at the sides with the palms turned forward, and feet parallel facing forward. On a human body, dorsal refers to the back, or posterior, portion of the body, whereas ventral, or anterior, refers to the front part of the body.  

The terms dorsal and ventral are also often used to describe the relative location of a body part. For example, the stomach is ventral to the spinal cord, meaning the stomach is located in front of the spinal cord. Similarly, the scapulae are dorsal to the ribs.    

Now, for certain parts of the body, including the penis and feet, the uses of ventral and dorsal differ from the standard definition. For instance, the dorsal part of the penis is the side closest to the abdomen when erect. Similarly, for the feet, the dorsal side is the top of the foot, or the area facing upwards when standing upright. 

The dorsal and ventral body cavities, two of the largest body compartments in humans, are anatomical spaces that contain various organs and structures. The dorsal cavity lies close to the spine in the posterior portion of the body. It contains the spinal column, central nervous system (i.e., brain and spinal cord), and meninges.  

On the anterior side of the body, the ventral cavity is made up of the thoracic cavity, abdominal cavity, and pelvic cavity. The thoracic cavity contains the heart, lungs, breast tissue, thymus gland, and blood vessels. Inside the abdominal cavity are the stomach, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, small intestine, colon, appendix, and kidneys. Lastly, the pelvic cavity contains the reproductive organs, bladder, part of the colon (i.e., large intestine), and the rectum.