FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66  
67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   >>   >|  
ir air-cells. The _Trachea_ is a vertical tube situated between the lungs below, and a short quadrangular cavity above, called the _larynx_, which is part of the windpipe, and used for the purpose of modulating the voice in speaking or singing. In the adult, the trachea, in its unextended state, is from four and one-half to five inches in length, about one inch in diameter, and, like the larynx, is more fully developed in the male than in the female. It is a fibro-cartilaginous structure, and is composed of flattened rings, or segments of circles. It permits the free passage of air to and from the lungs. The _Bronchia_ are two tubes, or branches, one proceeding from the windpipe to each lung. Upon entering the lungs, they divide and subdivide until, finally, they terminate in small cells, called the _bronchial or air-cells,_ which are of a membranous character. [Illustration: Fig. 43. An ideal representation of the respiratory organs. _3._ The larynx. _4._ The trachea. _5, 6._ The bronchia. _9, 9, 9, 9._ Air-cells. _1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2._ Outlines of the lungs.] The _Lungs_ are irregular conical organs rounded at the apex, situated within the chest, and filling the greater part of it, since the heart is the only other organ which occupies much space in the thoracic cavity. The lungs are convex externally, and conform to the cavity of the chest, while the internal surface is concave for the accommodation of the heart. The size of the lungs depends upon the capacity of the chest. Their color varies, being of a pinkish hue in childhood but of a gray, mottled appearance in the adult. They are termed the _right_ and _left_ lung. Each lung resembles a cone with its base resting upon the diaphragm, and its apex behind the collar-bone. The right lung is larger though shorter, than the left, not extending so low, and has three _lobes_, formed by deep fissures, or longitudinal divisions, while the left has but two lobes. Each lobe is also made up of numerous _lobules_, or small lobes, connected by cellular tissue, and these contain great numbers of cells. The lungs are abundantly supplied with blood-vessels, lymphatics, and nerves. The density of a lung depends upon the amount of air which it contains. Thus, experiment has shown that in a _foetus_ which has never breathed, the lungs are compact and will sink in water; but as soon as they become inflated with air, they spread over a larger surface, and are therefore more buoyant
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66  
67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
cavity
 

larynx

 

depends

 
organs
 

surface

 
larger
 

situated

 

trachea

 

windpipe

 

called


pinkish

 
shorter
 

accommodation

 

internal

 

appearance

 

concave

 

collar

 

diaphragm

 

resembles

 
extending

varies

 

childhood

 
capacity
 

resting

 

termed

 

mottled

 

numerous

 
foetus
 

experiment

 
nerves

density

 

amount

 

breathed

 

compact

 
spread
 

buoyant

 

inflated

 
lymphatics
 

vessels

 

divisions


longitudinal

 
fissures
 

formed

 

lobules

 

numbers

 

abundantly

 

supplied

 

connected

 

cellular

 

tissue