The Nose
We begin our journey through the Conservatory by first focusing on the structures of the respiratory system. Imagine that the system is like an obstacle course and you have to go through each stage, or structure, in order to proceed to the next.
The first stage is the nose. Did you know that it is the only externally visible part of the respiratory system? The nose does much more than allow us to smell how delicious a bowl of spaghetti may be. It allows us to breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. During breathing, air enters the nose by passing through the nostrils. The mucus in our nose moistens the air and traps incoming bacteria and other foreign debris.
The first stage is the nose. Did you know that it is the only externally visible part of the respiratory system? The nose does much more than allow us to smell how delicious a bowl of spaghetti may be. It allows us to breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. During breathing, air enters the nose by passing through the nostrils. The mucus in our nose moistens the air and traps incoming bacteria and other foreign debris.
The Pharynx
In the next stage of the Respiratory Obstacle Course is the Pharynx. What's a pharynx you ask? No, it's not one of Dr. Seuss's fictional characters, it is a muscular passageway for food and air. Sounds just like the throat? That's because "the throat" is the common name for the pharynx. The pharynx itself is actually composed of three parts, the nasopharynx, the oropharynx, and the laryngopharynx, making it an obstacle course within itself. Air enters the through the nasopharynx which then descends through the oropharynx and the laryngopharynx, to finally enter the larynx below.
The Larynx
Ever wondered why Spongebob Squarepants sounds the way he does? No it's not because somebody's voice always sounds like that, it is because they can manipulate how air passes through their larynx. A common name for the larynx is the voice box, which obviously plays an important role in speech. It also helps to route air and food into the proper channels in order for the body to process them.
The Trachea
Next comes the trachea. It's common name is the windpipe and it is mainly responsible for conveying air to and from the lungs. In fact, the trachea is the only way air can enter the lungs, that is why it is especially dangerous when food gets stuck in the trachea and close it off. Ever heard of the Heimlich maneuver? Well that is what it is for. It is used to pop out or expel the food or object stuck in the trachea to allow breathing.
The Lungs
Finally, we come to the lungs. It is here that the oxygen that first entered through your nose, passed through the pharynx down to the larynx and to the trachea, is transferred into the blood, while carbon dioxide is removed from the blood and exhaled. The lungs are covered in a thin layer of fluid, called the pleura, that acts as a lubricant allowing the lungs to slip smoothly as they expand and contract with each breath.