CHAPTER XII 

 THE THROAT AND THE VOICE 



429. The Throat. The throat is a double highway, as it 

 were, through which the air we breathe passes to the larynx 

 on its way to the lungs, and through which the food we 

 swallow reaches the oesophagus on its passage to the stomach. 

 It is, therefore, a very important region of the body, being 

 concerned in the great acts of respiration and digestion. 



The throat is enclosed and protected by various muscles 

 and bony structures, along which run the great blood vessels 

 that supply the head and the great nerve trunks that pass 

 from the brain to the parts below. The throat is lined 

 with mucous membrane covered with ciliated epithelium, 

 which secretes a lubricating fluid (mucus) which keeps the 

 parts moist and pliable. 



We have already described the food passages (Chapter VI) 

 and the air passages (Chapter VIII). 



430. What may be seen in the Open Mouth. If we look 

 into the wide-open mouth of some friend and depress the 

 tongue, we can readily see the back wall of the pharynx. 

 This is common to the two main avenues leading to the 

 lungs and the stomach. Above, we notice the air passages 

 which lead to the posterior cavities of the nose. 



The hard palate, the soft palate, the uvula, and the tonsils 

 have already been described (Figs. 45 and 51). 



On looking directly beyond these organs we see the 

 beginning of the downward passage, the pharynx. If 



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