Chapter 5 Pharynx & Esophagus

What is the pharynx?

also called the “throat"“, it is a 5 inch muscular tube, lined with a mucous membrane

What does the pharynx serve as?

a passageway for air traveling through the nose to the windpipe; for food traveling from the oral cavity to the esophagus

When deglutition (swallowing) occurs, a flap of tissue, the ________, covers the trachea so that food cannot enter and become lodged there.

epiglottis

What is the esophagus?

a 9-10 inch fibromuscular tube extending from the pharynx to the stomach

What is peristalsis?

an involuntary and rhythmic contraction of muscles in the wall of the esophagus, which propels food down toward the stomach.