Epiglottis

Have you ever had food go down the windpipe instead of the esophagus? You probably tried to talk with food in your mouth, or were eating too fast, or tried to swallow too much at a time. That problem will make you very uncomfortable. It can even be life-threatening.

Did you know that a leaf-like flap of cartilage, just behind the tongue and before the larynx, acts like a policeman directing traffic. When you start to swallow it quickly flaps down to close the lid on the windpipe while the larynx moves up against the lid to keep food from getting into your lungs. That is the job it does all your life, every day, all day and night. Without it you would likely die soon but this little lifesaver hardly ever gets any credit. Not only that, it had to be there right from the start. You can’t wait around for thousands or millions of years for it to show up by chance and natural selection as in evolution. It had to be in just the right place with just the right mechanisms and nerves to do the job on day one.

Seeing to such crucial details is the work of a Designer. I am thankful for that.

It’s great to be on the sunny side,
Henry Wiebe