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 The book ‘’ALIVE’’ Google images