The epiglottis opens when we breathe and closes when we swallow, sending food in one direction and air in another, but occasionally it errs and the results are sometimes dire. It is pretty amazing when you reflect upon it that you can sit at a dinner party enjoying yourself extravagantly—eating, talking, laughing, breathing, slurping wine—and that your nasopharyngeal guardians will send everything to the right place, in two directions, without you having to give it a moment’s consideration.
