Angle (rib)

The external surface of the rib is convex, smooth, and marked, a little in front of the tubercle, by a prominent line, directed downward and laterally; this gives attachment to a tendon of the Iliocostalis, and is called the angle.

At this point the rib is bent in two directions, and at the same time twisted on its long axis.

If the rib be laid upon its lower border, the portion of the body in front of the angle rests upon this border, while the portion behind the angle is bent medially and at the same time tilted upward; as the result of the twisting, the external surface, behind the angle, looks downward, and in front of the angle, slightly upward.

The distance between the angle and the tubercle is progressively greater from the second to the tenth ribs. The portion between the angle and the tubercle is rounded, rough, and irregular, and serves for the attachment of the Longissimus dorsi.