# What is the pleura?

The the pleura is called the pleura. Gray's Anatomy (1918) describes it as a thin, double-layered membrane surrounding each lung.

## What it means

- A thin, double-layered membrane surrounding each lung.
- Has a visceral layer on the lung and a parietal layer on the chest wall.
- The two layers are separated by a thin film of lubricating fluid.

## Action steps

1. Lines the inside of the chest wall.
2. Folds back over the surface of each lung.
3. The two pleural cavities are entirely separate from each other.

## Sources

- [Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body (1918)](https://www.bartleby.com/107/)

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