Function:
It protects the vital organs like heart and lungs. The functions of heart and lungs are also known as functions of thorax. It is useful in respiration as the space of thorax is used while respiration when lungs get expand.
It helps in the movements of arm, it protects heart and lungs. It is very important central area of the human body. Ribs are also included in chest area.
Diseases:
Individual chest diseases are rare except ribs fractures; thrombophlebitis is a disease of superficial chest wall, atelectasis or muscular chest pain because of overexertion. Heart and lung diseases are most of the times considered as the chest diseases but the cause is the affection of the heart or lung like pneumonia, chest pain.
Diseases of thorax are not very common. You may have heard about pneumothorax. This is the disease of thorax.
Interesting facts:
The right lung is bigger than left lung. Left lung is small so as to adjust the heart in that area of thoracic cavity.
Nipples are developed even before the gender is decided. That’s why male and females both have nipples on their chest.