The Respiratory System is responsible for the mechanical process called breathing, with

the average adult breathing about 12 to 20 times per minute. This includes the nose, pharynx,
larynx, trachea, bronchi and lungs. The respiratory system have two very important functions: it
brings oxygen into our bodies, which we need for our cells to live and function properly and it
helps us get rid of carbon dioxide, which is a waste product of cellular function. When engaged
in strenuous activities, the rate and depth of breathing increases in order to handle the increased
concentrations of carbon dioxide in the blood.

When we breathe in, air enters our body through the nose or mouth. From there, it travels
down the throat, through the larynx and into the trachea before entering the lungs. These said
structures serves as channels of air into our body.
The nose, pharynx, larynx, trachea and bronchi all work like a system of pipes through which the
air is conducted down into our lungs.

The lungs are large organs in which the exchange of gasses takes place. We each have
two lungs, a left lung and a right lung. These are divided into lobes separated by fissures. The
right lung has three lobes but the left lung has only two, because the heart takes up some of the
space in the left side of our chest. At the lungs, the bronchi subdivides becoming smaller as they
branch through the lung tissue, until they reach the tiny air sacks of the lungs called the alveoli.
The alveoli are where the important work of gas exchange takes place between the air and our
blood. Covering each alveolus is a whole network of little blood vessel called capillaries, which
are very small branches of the pulmonary arteries. It is important that the air in the alveoli and
the blood in the capillaries are very close together, so that oxygen and carbon dioxide can move
between them. So, when we breathe in, air comes down the trachea and through the bronchi into
the alveoli. This fresh air has lots of oxygen in it, and some of this oxygen will travel across the
walls of the alveoli into your bloodstream. Traveling in the opposite direction is carbon dioxide,
which crosses from the blood in the capillaries into the air in the alveoli and is then breathed out.
In this way, we bring in to our body the oxygen that we need to live, and get rid of the waste
product carbon dioxide.

When something goes wrong with part of the respiratory system, such as an infection like
pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, it makes it harder for us to get the oxygen
we need and to get rid of the waste product carbon dioxide. Common respiratory symptoms
include breathlessness, cough, and chest pain

MECHANICS OF BREATHING

During inspiration, the outer intercostal muscles contract, this raises the chest cavity or
the ribs. This is accompanied by the lowering of the diaphragm. Together these movements serve
to increase the area of the thoracic cavity, which reduces the pressure. The air from outside
rushes into the lungs.

During expiration, the inner intercostal muscles contract bringing the ribs back to the
original position and the diaphragm is also raised back by the action of the abdominal muscles.
This reduces the space in the chest cavity and increases the pressure. This expels the air out of
the lungs.

INSPIRATION EXPIRATION

PHYSIOLOGY OF GAS EXCHANGE

Each branch of the bronchial tree eventually sub-divides to form very narrow terminal
bronchioles, which terminate in the alveoli. There are many millions of alveoli in each lung, and
these are the areas responsible for gaseous exchange. Each alveolus is very closely
associated with a network of capillaries containing deoxygenated blood from the pulmonary
artery. The capillary and alveolar walls are very thin, allowing rapid exchange of gases
by  passive diffusion along concentration gradients. 
CO2 moves into the alveolus as the absorption is much lower in the alveolus than in the
blood, and O2 moves out of the alveolus as the continuous flow of blood through the capillaries
prevents saturation of the blood with O2 and allows maximal transfer across the membrane.