The Respiratory System

The organs of respiration (Apparatus respiratorius) comprise the nasal cavity, the pharynx, the larynx, the trachea, the bronchi, and the lungs. The lungs are the central organs in which the exchange of gases between the blood and the air takes place; the other parts of the system are passages by which the air passes to and from the lungs. The nasal cavity opens externally at the nostrils, and communicates behind with the pharynx through the posterior nares (Choanæ); it contains the peripheral part of the olfactory apparatus, which mediates the sense of smell. The pharynx is a common passage for the air and food—a remnant of the primitive embryonic arrangement; it has been described as a part of the digestive tube. The larynx is a complex valvular apparatus which regulates the volume of air passing through the tract; it is also the chief organ of voice. The trachea, and the bronchi formed by its bifurcation, are permanently open conducting tubes. The thorax, the pleural sacs which it contains, and the muscles which increase or diminish the size of the cavity are also parts of the system. The bones, joints, and muscles of the thorax have already been described.

For topographic reasons two ductless glands, the thyroid and the thymus, are usually described in this section, although they are in no sense a part of the respiratory system.