A Natural Cast of the Lungs

Following up on our recent investigation of plaster casts of harvester ant nests, reader SummitPLA sent us this unappetizing image with the attached caption:
This cast of the bronchial tree is formed of inspissated mucus and was coughed up by a patient during an asthmatic attack. The outpouring of mucus from hypertrophied bronchial submucosal glands, the bronchoconstriction, and dehydration all contribute to the formation of mucus plugs that can block airways in asthmatic patients.
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