Jugular Veins

There are jugular veins on each side of the neck, which return the deoxygenated blood from the head to the heart. The jugular vein lies deep inside the neck and is seldom injured

Lateral Femoral Circumflex Artery/Vein

The deep femoral artery supplies much of the musculature in the front and middle compartments of the thigh. Some of its vessels penetrate through the muscles to the back compartment and contribute to the supply of the hamstrings. The "lateral femoral circumflex artery" arises from the side of the deep femoral artery and passes behind the sartorius and rectus femoris muscles, where it divides into three branches: the ascending, transverse, and descending branches. The "ascending branch" passes over to the side of the hip, and joins a network with the end branches of the superior gluteal and deep iliac circumflex arteries. The "descending branch" courses downward behind the rectus femoris, and one long branch descends as far as the knee, where it joins an aspect of the popliteal artery. It is accompanied by a branch of the femoral nerves. The "transverse branch" is the smallest branch, but it is often absent. It winds around the femur and connects a network of vessels and nerves on back of the thigh. The corresponding veins parallel the paths of the arteries of the same name.

Genicular Artery

The genicular arteries (inferior and superior) supply the knee joint and the skin of the upper and media leg.

Pulmonary Artery/Vein

When the muscular wall of the right ventricle contacts, the blood inside the heart chamber is put under more pressure, and the tricuspid valve closes. As a result, the only exit is through the "pulmonary trunk," which divides to form the right and left "pulmonary arteries." At the base of this trunk is a "pulmonary semilunar valve" that is made up of three leaflets or cusps. This valve opens when the right ventricle contracts. When the right ventricular muscles relax, blood starts back up the pulmonary trunk, causing the valve to close to prevent the flow from returning into the ventricular chamber. The pulmonary vein travels parallel to the pulmonary artery as it carries the blood back up to the heart.

Lungs (An Overview)

Air, which is inhaled through the mouth and nasal passages, travels through the windpipe or "trachea" into two main air passages. These divide into smaller branches which separate into even smaller "twigs" like an upside-down tree. The respiratory system is mainly contained in two lungs. The little air sacs at the end of the twigs comprise the fruit of the tree, and through its thin walls gasses pass into and out of the blood. The right lung is made up of three compartments, each of which contain a branch and each of which stems off into smaller "twigs," which hold the air sacs (or "fruit" of the tree) that process the oxygen in the air to be released into the blood and expel carbon dioxide, which is exhaled through the nose and mouth. The left lung cavity contains only two sections (each with its own branches, twigs and fruit) and encloses the heart, which processes the oxygenated blood and returns deoxygenated blood into the lungs for exhalation. Breathing is an automatic process which comes from the brain stem and is so strong a force that the involuntary reflexes will not allow us to stop breathing for any length of time. The passageways in the respiratory system are lined with various types of epithelia to prepare the air properly for utilization and with hair-like fibers called cilia that move in a wave-like motion to sweep debris out of the lungs for expulsion. The women in ancient Greece and Rome wore corsets of linen to restrain their figures. The female waistline has been moved up and down over the passage of time, but this became a real health hazard when whalebone corsets came into use during the last part of the 19th and early part of the 20th centuries, because they constricted the vital organs in the body - especially those of the respiratory and digestive systems. Women with "wasp-like" waists fainted so often that those who were well-off purchased "fainting" couches; and when a woman "swooned," the cry, "Cut her laces!" often allowed her enough air to recover.