Pulmons

Pulmons is not a standard term in modern medical English. The organs commonly referred to as the lungs are the paired respiratory organs inside the thoracic cavity. In Latin, the singular is pulmus and the plural pulmones; in English, the adjective form is pulmonary. The term pulmons may appear in historical or nonstandard usages, but contemporary anatomy and medicine use lungs to describe the organs responsible for gas exchange.

Anatomy and structure: The lungs lie on either side of the mediastinum, protected by the rib cage and enclosed in a pleural sac. The right lung has three lobes—superior, middle, and inferior—divided by the horizontal and oblique fissures. The left lung has two lobes—superior and inferior—with a cardiac notch to accommodate the heart. Each lung is divided into lobes and segments and is covered by visceral pleura, which folds back to form the parietal pleura at the chest wall, creating a pleural cavity with a small amount of lubricating fluid.

Function and microanatomy: Air enters through the trachea, which splits into the right and left main bronchi and continues into progressively smaller airways until reaching the alveolar sacs. Gas exchange occurs across the thin walls of alveoli, where oxygen passes into the blood and carbon dioxide is expelled. Surfactant reduces surface tension within alveoli, aiding inflation. The lungs contain structures for mucociliary clearance, immune defense, and metabolic activities.

Vascular and nerve supply: The pulmonary arteries bring deoxygenated blood from the right ventricle to the lungs, where it becomes oxygenated and returns via the pulmonary veins to the left atrium. The bronchial arteries provide systemic blood to the airways. Innervation comes from the vagus nerve and sympathetic fibers, regulating airway tone and secretions.

Clinical relevance: The lungs are prone to infections such as pneumonia, chronic diseases like COPD and asthma, interstitial fibrosis, pulmonary embolism, and malignancies. Imaging, pulmonary function tests, and clinical history are essential for diagnosis and management. Smoking and environmental exposures are major risk factors.