# What is the pharynx?

The the throat is called the pharynx. Gray's Anatomy (1918) describes it as a muscular tube shared by the digestive and respiratory tracts.

## What it means

- A muscular tube shared by the digestive and respiratory tracts.
- Divided into three parts: nasopharynx, oropharynx, and laryngopharynx.
- Conducts food to the esophagus and air to the larynx.

## Action steps

1. Behind the nose, mouth, and larynx.
2. About 12 cm long.
3. Extends from the base of the skull to the level of the sixth cervical vertebra.

## Sources

- [Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body (1918)](https://www.bartleby.com/107/)

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