Anatomy and Physiology: Respiratory System

• The respiratory system consists of the nose, pharynx (FAIR inks), larynx (LAIR inks), trachea (TRAY kee ah), bronchi (BRAHN kye), and lungs.
• External respiration

  is the process of inhaling oxygen into the lungs, and exhaling carbon dioxide. That process includes the ventilation of the lungs and the exchange of air in the lungs and blood within the capillaries of the alveoli of the
• Internal respiration is the metabolic process by which living cells use blood flowing through the capillaries, absorbing the oxygen (02 )they need and releasing the carbon dioxide (CO2)they create.
• The external opening of the nose is the nostrils or anterior nares.
• The dividing partition between the nostrils is the nasal septum, which forms two nasal cavities.

  Each cavity is divided into

  3 air passages: the superior, middle, and inferior conchae (KON kuh).
• The conchae passages lead to the passageway called the pharnyx. Here, the ear is connected to the sinuses, the ears through the eustachian tubes, and even the eyes through the nasolacrimal ducts
• The palatine (palate) bones and maxilla (upper jaw bone) separate the nasal cavities from the mouth cavity. Cilia (hairs)

  line the mucous

  membrane. About 1 qt. of mucous is produced daily.
• The nose has 5 functions:

  1. It serves as an air passageway.
  2. It warms and moistens inhaled air.
  3. Its cilia and mucous membrane trap dust, pollen, bacteria, and foreign matter.
  4. It contains olfactory receptors, which smell odors.
  5. It aids in phonation and the quality of voice.
• The pharynx is the correct term for the throat.

  It is a muscular and membranous tube that is about 5 inches long, extending downward from the base of the skull. It

  eventually becomes the esophagus.
• The nasopharynx is behind the nose; the oropharynx is behind the mouth; the laryngopharynx is behind the larynx.