Oesophagus wall, light micrograph and illustration - Bildbanksillustration

Oesophagus wall. Light micrograph of a section through the human oesophagus, which passes food from the mouth to the stomach. The oesophagus lumen (white, top) is lined by a thick layer of stratified squamous epithelium (red) that protects underlying tissue. Beneath this is a supporting layer of connective tissue, the lamina propria, which contains blood vessels and is rich in elastin fibres.