Download The Digestive System

The Digestive System
by: Connor Anderson
Organs
• The digestive system contains many organs
such as the stomach, small intestine, large
intestine, gall bladder, liver, pancreas,
appendix and esophagus.
Esophagus
The esophagus is a muscular tube connecting the throat
with the stomach. The esophagus is about 12 inches
long, and is lined by moist pink tissue called mucosa.
The esophagus runs behind the windpipe and heart,
and in front of the spine. Just before entering the
stomach, the esophagus passes through the
diaphragm.
The liver
• Your highly active liver is thought to perform
over 500 vital tasks. Although it is not directly
connected to the digestive system, one of its
key roles is processing nutrients.
Gall Bladder and Pancreas
• The gallbladder is a small pouch that sits just under the liver. The
gallbladder stores bile produced by the liver. After meals, the
gallbladder is empty and flat, like a deflated balloon. Before a meal,
the gallbladder may be full of bile and about the size of a small
pear.
• The pancreas is about 6 inches long and sits across the back of the
abdomen, behind the stomach. The head of the pancreas is on the
right side of the abdomen and is connected to the duodenum (the
first section of the small intestine) through a small tube called the
pancreatic duct. The narrow end of the pancreas, called the tail,
extends to the left side of the body.
Small and Large Intestines
• The small intestine is the part of the gastrointestinal tract
(gut) following the stomach and followed by the large
intestine, and is where the most of digestion of food takes
place.
• The large intestine is the second to last part of the digestive
system. Its function is to absorb water from the remaining
indigestible food matter, and then to pass useless waste
material from the body. It is known as the colon.
Stomach and Appendix
• The stomach is a muscular organ located on the left side of the upper
abdomen. The stomach receives food from the esophagus. As food
reaches the end of the esophagus, it enters the stomach through a
muscular valve called the lower esophageal sphincter. The stomach lets
out acid and enzymes that digest food. The stomach muscles contract
periodically, churning food to speed up digestion
• The appendix sits at the junction of the small intestine and large intestine.
It’s a thin tube about four inches long. Normally, the appendix sits in the
lower right abdomen .The function of the appendix is unknown. One
theory is that the appendix stores good bacteria, “rebooting” the digestive
system after diarrheal illnesses.
Rectum
• The last 6 to 8 inches of the large intestine
that serves as a storage site for waste before it
exits the body through the anus.
How Does This Work With Other
Systems?
• The digestive system works with many other
systems such as the circulatory and muscular.
• It provides nutrients to give to cells in the
circulatory system.
• It uses the muscular system to chew food. It
also uses this system to digest it by using
muscles in the stomach to churn food and
move the food from one organ to the next.
FUN FACT!!!
• The appendix is not needed in actuality and,
when removed, the human body shows no
harmful affects.
• Food travels through about 30 feet of tubes
during digestion.
• When filling up, the stomach can stretch up to
20 times its normal size.
Sources
• Ganeri, Anita and MacLeod, Jilly. ALIVE. The
Living Breathing Human Body Book 1st ed New
York, N.Y., 2007
• www.webmd.com
• Google images