Anatomy Lab 11 Lymphatic and Respiratory Systems

Anatomically and physiologically to the circulatory system

1. transports excess interstitial fluid, initially filtered from the blood, back to the bloodstream (it recycle a lot of water and ions) 2. it is the route by which absorbed fat from the small intestine is transported to the blood 3. aids in immunological defenses against disease-causing agents

Lymph capillaries

Interstitial fluid to enter the capillaries *this fluid is the combined filtrate of plasma & tissue fluids

Lymph

Lymph is pushed into larger lymph veins and ducts from the massaging actions produced by skeletal muscle cxns, intestinal movements, and other body movements.

From moving toward the heart

Lymph is filtered through the lymph nodes, which contain phagocytic cells & lymphocytes that help detoxify the lymph and initiate an immune response

Posterior & lateral to the stomach, from which it is suspended

Not a vital organ in an adult, but it does assist other organs in producing lymphocytes, filtering the blood, and destroying old erythrocytes *in infants, it is the site for the production of erythrocytes

-plays a key role in the immune system as the producer of T lymphocytes -located in the anterior thorax, deep to the manubrium of the sternum (larger in a fetus & a child than in an adult, begins to regress in size during puberty)

Three pairs

Oral cavity and pharynx *their locations act as a defense against pathogens or toxins

-spleen -thymus -tonsils

Posterior to the internal nares, ends at the soft palate, and includes the pharyngeal tonsils. The pharyngotympanic (auditory) tube opens into the lateral aspect of the nasopharynx