Meet Molly Hooper
Molly Hooper is the specialist registrar at the morgue at St. Bartholomew's Hospital. She also performs post-mortems, which is one of her favourite things to do since she gets to help Sherlock with his cases in the science lab. Another activity she enjoys is teaching, especially about the respiratory system. At St. Bartholomew's, Molly will inform you about the structure and function of the system as well as important concepts.
If you're lucky, you might even see a couple bodies!
If you're lucky, you might even see a couple bodies!
Introduction to the respiratory system
The primary function of the respiratory system is to supply oxygen to the blood and to different parts of the body. Through breathing, we inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, (also called ventilation), this exchange of gases allows the oxygen to reach the blood. Moreover, the maximum amount of air a person can expel after maximum inhalation is known as vital capacity.
Respiration is regulated by spontaneous neural discharges from the brain. Your breathing will change depending on the environment or how active you are. Chemoreceptors in the brain and and heart modulate the respiratory rate to compensate for any disruptions in the balance of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and acid.
The diaphragm, a dome-shaped muscle below the lungs, help pump the carbon dioxide out of the lungs by relaxing and bring oxygen into the lungs by contracting. Our lungs are covered in a membrane- the pleural membrane, which enclose a fluid-filled space and serve to protect and lubricate the lungs to allow it to move easily without friction. The rib cage also helps with breathing, using a pair of intercostal muscles which raise and lower the rib cage.
Besides the diaphragm, rib cage, and the lungs, here are other key parts of the respiratory system:
Epiglottis: Elastic cartilage covered with mucous membrane at the entrance of the larynx.
Larynx: Where speech and sound is produced
Trachea: A tube that enters the chest cavity, connecting the larynx to the lungs.
Bronchi: Two smaller tubes of the trachea that branch off to each lung.
Bronchioles: smaller branches of the bronchi
Alveoli: A sac where gas exchange takes place.
Capillaries: surround the alveoli to help gas exchange.
Respiration is regulated by spontaneous neural discharges from the brain. Your breathing will change depending on the environment or how active you are. Chemoreceptors in the brain and and heart modulate the respiratory rate to compensate for any disruptions in the balance of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and acid.
The diaphragm, a dome-shaped muscle below the lungs, help pump the carbon dioxide out of the lungs by relaxing and bring oxygen into the lungs by contracting. Our lungs are covered in a membrane- the pleural membrane, which enclose a fluid-filled space and serve to protect and lubricate the lungs to allow it to move easily without friction. The rib cage also helps with breathing, using a pair of intercostal muscles which raise and lower the rib cage.
Besides the diaphragm, rib cage, and the lungs, here are other key parts of the respiratory system:
Epiglottis: Elastic cartilage covered with mucous membrane at the entrance of the larynx.
Larynx: Where speech and sound is produced
Trachea: A tube that enters the chest cavity, connecting the larynx to the lungs.
Bronchi: Two smaller tubes of the trachea that branch off to each lung.
Bronchioles: smaller branches of the bronchi
Alveoli: A sac where gas exchange takes place.
Capillaries: surround the alveoli to help gas exchange.