The Voyage

Welcome to the Fantastic Voyage! Now that we have successfully been shrunk and injected into the patient’s femoral vein, let me explain what our journey will entail. The first destination will be the lower lobe of the right lung. The patient’s immune system has been fighting an evil invasion of bacterium in the lung, and it is our assignment to document the battle. Once we have witnessed the patient’s immune system in action, we will head across the alveolar membrane and onward out the nose. Let get started on this incredible journey!

We are now located in the right femoral vein which is part of Ms. Parker’s thigh. As you can see, we are following the current upward towards the pelvic cavity. As you look around you will see her femoral striated muscles, or her quadriceps femoris (Thibodeau & Patton, 2008). You can also see her adductor longus muscle tissue to the right. The sub-master 3000 seems to be jetting along, for we are already reaching the external iliac. Before the submarine moves too quickly notice the surrounding lymph nodes! Notice the different sizes: some lymph nodes are larger and some are smaller. Lymph percolates through the areas of the node helping to filter and protect her from harmful bacteria and damaged cells. This biological filtration is a type of defense mechanism. Lymph nodes also help as they produce the soldier cells: white blood cells (Thibodeau & Patton, 2008).

Now following through the common iliac up towards Ms. Parker’s heart let’s take a look. The scenery has vastly changed for now you can see her irregular shaped pelvic bone. Here, red bone marrow produces new blood cells; this process is known as hematopoiesis. The ovaries may be visualized in the distance; ovaries play a significant role for reproduction. The smaller winding tube is known as the small intestines, and the larger one is known as the large intestines. These organs are essential for digestion, for they are able to absorb vital compounds, elements, and...