DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

Digestive System

Definition of Terms

Pharynx

The pharynx is an organ present in vertebrates and invertebrates, though the structure is not commonly the same across the species. In humans the pharynx is part of the digestive system and as well part of the conducting zone of the respiratory system

Tongue

The fleshy, movable, muscular organ, attached in most vertebrates to the floor of the mouth, that is the principal organ of taste, an aid in chewing and swallowing, and, in humans, an important organ of speech.

Oesophagus

The part of the alimentary canal between the pharynx and the stomach; gullet

Liver

The liver is a very important organ of the digestive system available in vertebrates and a few other animals. It has a wide range of functions, which includes detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals essential for digestion.

Stomach

When you swallow food and drink it passes from your mouth, down your oesophagus (or gullet) towards your stomach. Your stomach is filled with specific digestive juices which break the food down into a paste that then passes it through to the small intestine

Gall Bladder

The gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ located below the liver that stores bile produced by the liver. During and after a meal, the gallbladder passes the bile through the bile ducts into the intestines to help with digestion,

Pancrease

The pancreas is a long, flat gland behind the stomach that produces digestive enzymes that are released into the small intestine to help with digestion.Pancreas contains islets of Langerhans, which secrete into the blood the hormones insulin and glucagon.

Pancreatic duct

Pancreatic duct is a tube that runs from the pancreas and joins the bile duct extending through the gland from tail to head, It takes pancreatic juice into the small intestine

Small Intestine

The small intestine is an elongated, extremely long-winded tube in the digestive system that absorbs about 90% of the nutrients from the food we eat. It is given the name “small intestine” due to the fact that it is just 1 inch in diameter, making it less than half the diameter of the large intestine

Colon

The colon is the last part of the digestive system in a majority of vertebrates. It extracts water and salt from solid wastes before they are eradicated from the body and is the site in which flora-assisted large bacterial fermentation of unabsorbed material occurs

Cecum

Cecum a large tubelike structure that is connected to the junction of the small and large intestines. It is basically the first regoin of the large intestine

Appendix

Appendix is a vestigial process attached to and opening into the lower end of the large intestine in humans and some other mammals.It appears like a small pouch shape

Rectum

The rectum is the lower part of the large intestine where the body stores stool. Problems with rectum are widespread like hemorrhoids, abscesses, incontinence and cancer. The rectum is the concluding part of the large intestine that ends in the anus

Anus

The anus is the opening at the end of the alimentary canal through which solid waste matter exits the body. The anus starts at the bottom of the rectum.