Pharynx

The pharynxThe muscular passageway connecting the mouth to the esophagus and larynx. is usually called the throat and is the sneaky cause of post nasalTwo small rectangular bones forming the bridge of the nose. drip. The word pharynx means “crossing.” In high school, I knew a person who lived on Pharynx Road. I recall looking up the meaning in the dictionary.

The respiratory mucosaThe innermost lining of the digestive tract that contains mucus-secreting cells for protection and a joins forces with the digestive mucosa in the pharynx. Then they descend to be split again. They split into the trachea for the respiratory mucosa and the esophagusThe muscular tube that transports food from the pharynx to the stomach via peristalsis. for the digestive mucosa. The oral mucosa consists of keratinized stratified squamous epithelium. The nasal cavityThe internal space behind the nose that filters, warms, and humidifies incoming air. and trachea are lined with pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium.

The submucosa of the pharynx is unremarkable connective tissue. The surrounding muscles are both voluntary and involuntary and coordinated in the process of swallowing (deglutition).