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1. Buccal Cavity Buccal Cavity is a medical term used to refer to the mouth.

Several digestive processes occur in the buccal cavity, including:


A bolus passes from the oesophagus into the stomach through the cardiac sphincter. 6. Stomach The stomach is a muscular sac that churns and mixes food. It also absorbs alcohol. Mucus and proteases are also present in the stomach. Key Notes about the stomach:

Mechanical parts of the digestive process include chewing and grinding using the teeth. Saliva is produced and secreted by the salivary glands. The secretion of saliva by the salivary glands is called salivation. The production and secretion of saliva is increased in response to the chewing action of the jaws, and also in response to the thought, taste, smell, and hence the experience of ingesting foods. Saliva has several functions, including lubrication of the buccal cavity. Saliva includes the enzyme salivary amylase, which begins the process of breaking-down the carbohydrates within the food. Salivary amylase has the effect of breaking down certain large molecules: polysaccharides di-saccharides. Finally, after reduction to an appropriate size and consistency, food is formed into a "bolus" (i.e. a "ball" of foodstuff) to be passed down the digestive tract.

churns / mixes food mixes food with gastric acid

Enzymes in the stomach:


pH approx. 1-3 due to stomach acid. Kill microbes. Neutralise salivary amylase. Provide a medium for proteases such as rennin (coagulates milk proteins) and pepsin. A protese is any enzyme that catalyses the splitting of a protein. Proteases catalyse the process: Polypeptides Di-peptides Amino acids.

2. Epiglottis The epiglottis is a thin leaf-shaped flap of cartilage covered with a layer of mucous membrane. It is located immediately behind the root of the tongue and aids the digestive process by closing the trachea (which is sometimes colloquially referred to as the "windpipe") to prevent ingested materials from entering the lungs / respiratory system. 3. Trachea The trachea (or, colloquially, the "windpipe") is the part of the air passage between the larynx (which is sometimes colloquially referred to as the "voice box") and the main bronchi inside the lungs. Although not part of the digestive system, the trachea is labeled above to indicate the importance of the epiglottis. 4. Esophagus The esophagus (also known colloquially as the "windpipe") is the tube through which a bolus is carried from the mouth to the stomach. The bolus progresses down the esophagus by means of peristaltic action. 5. Cardiac Sphincter The cardiac sphincter is the site at which material enters the stomach.

7. Pylonic Sphincter The pylonic sphincter is the route by which material exits the stomach. The contents of the stomach is squeezed out as chyme into the small intestine. 8. Liver The liver is an accessory organ (i.e. it assists the digestive process, e.g. by supplying substances useful to the digestive process - but ingested material does not pass through the liver). The liver is the largest organ in the body, the skin being the largest organ of the body. The liver has over 500 functions, including:

Production and secretion of bile and bile salts. (Bile = blood pigments from erythrocytes + bile salts + cholesterol). Bile is alkaline and its function is to break-down ("emulsify" = "make into smaller globules") fats. Phagocytosis of bacteria and dead or foreign materials. Converts glucose to glycogen and vice-versa. Production of cholesterol Storage of glycogen De-amination of excess amino acids Detoxification, e.g. conversion of ammonia to urea, and processing of alcohol and/or drugs.

Storage of certain vitamins & minerals, e.g. iron (Fe) that can be used to produce red blood cells.

For more about these see the page about functions of the liver. 9. Pancreas The pancreas is an accessory organ (i.e. it assists the digestive process, e.g. by supplying substances useful to the digestive process - but ingested material does not pass through the pancreas). The pancreas is a "dual organ", i.e. it is both exocrine and endocrine. Endocrine Produces the hormones insulin and glucogon, Functions: which control sugar levels. Exocrine Produces enzymes: Functions: Pancreatic Amylase - breaks down carbohydrates by: Polysaccharides Di-saccharides Lipase - breaks down fats by: Fat Fatty Acids + Glycerol Proteases e.g. typsin - break-down proteins by: Polypeptides Di-peptides Amino acids

Glucose and Amino Acids go to the Hepatic Portal Vein, and Fatty Acids and Glycerol go into lacteal and are transported by the lymphatic system.

11. Ileocaecal Valve The iloecaecal valve is the exit through which chyme passes from the small intestine to the large intestine. 12. Appendix Note that the appendix is not strictly part of the alimentary tract. (It is mentioned here to complete brief notes about all of the tissues and organs labeled in the diagram above.) The appendix is a "vestigial organ", which means that it is thought to be present in the body as a result of evolution even though the human body has evolved in such as way as to render it (the appendix) non-essential. Ingested matter does not pass through the appendix. The appendix is composed of lymphatic tissue. 13. Large Intestine The large intestine is the final organ in the alimentary tract. It consists of sections that have specific names, including:

10. Small Intestine There are three parts of the small intestine. They are (in the order in which they are reached): 1. The Duodenum 2. The Jejunum 3. The Ileum In addition to the enzymes already contributed at previous stages in the alimentary tract, further enzymes are released from the walls of parts (1.) and (2.) of the small intestines. Examples include: sucrase, maltase, fructase, lactase. The '-ase' suffix indicates that the substance is an enzyme. These facilitate reactions of the form: Di-saccharides mono-saccharides, so, e.g. The enzyme sucrase facilitates break-down to the monosaccharide sucrose. The enzyme maltase facilitates break-down to the monosaccharide maltose. The enzyme fructase facilitates break-down to the monosaccharide lactose. The enzyme lactase facilitates break-down to the monosaccharide lactose. Absorption takes place at (3.), then ...

Caecum Ascending Colon Transverse Colon Descending Colon Sigmoid Colon Rectum

The large intestine absorbs water from material passing through it - all the way along its length. The final stages of the large intestine (the rectum and anal canal) also form and release faeces, as stated below. 14. Rectum The rectum is a latter part of the large intestine. Its purpose is the formation of faeces, i.e. faeces are formed in the rectum then expelled via the process of defecation. 15. Anus The anus is the opening at the lower-end of the alimentary tract, through which faeces are discharged. The anus opens out from the anal canal (which is the end, or "terminal", portion of the large intestine) and is kept closed by two sphincter muscles at all times except during defecation.

Accessory Organs and Their Functions--

It's located underneath the stomach

Accessory Organs---Food does not pass through (not a part of the gastrointestinal tract)

---Vermiform Appendix (Appendix)

---Salivary Glands

The salivary glands are accessory organs Saliva keeps the mouth and other parts of the digestive system moist Saliva also helps break down carbohydrates (with salivary amylase) and lubricates the passage of food down from the pharynx to the stomach They are located near the ear, underneath the tongue, and by the tongue, cheeks and lips

The appendix is a vermiform (worm-like) tube, located near the junction of the small and large intestines The appendix is usually 10 centimeters in length, but can range from 2 to 20 centimeters The appendix has no actual function, therefore it can be removed without any ill effects

Main Organs and Their Functions-----Oral Cavity (Mouth)

--- Liver

The liver is an accessory organ The adult human liver normally weighs between 3.7 and 6.5 pounds, and it is a soft, pinkish-brown boomerang shaped organ It plays a major role in metabolism and the gastrointestinal tract It lies beneath the diaphragm and the upper-right portion of the abdomen The liver produces bile to be stored in the gallbladder It also stores glycogen and removes toxins It is the largest organ (besides the skin) and the largest gland within the body The liver is among the few internal human organs capable of natural regeneration of lost tissue; as little as 25% of remaining liver can regenerate into a whole liver again

The oral cavity, more commonly referred to as the mouth, is where the digestion process begins Food is physically chewed and broken down with saliva Mechanical digestion is accomplished by the teeth, and chemical digestion is accomplished by the saliva

---Pharynx (Throat)

The pharynx, more commonly referred to as the throat, is the passageway that connects the oral cavity and the esophagus

---Esophagus

---Gallbladder

The gallbladder is an accessory organ It stores about 50 milliliters of bile until the body needs it for digestion The gallbladder is about 7-10 centimeters long in humans and appears dark green because of its contents (bile), rather than its tissue The gallbladder releases bile that is produced in the liver Bile emulsifies fats and neutralizes acids in partly digested food

The esophagus is the muscular tube where food passes from the oral cavity to the stomach Food is passed through the esophagus by peristalsis (a muscle action that squeezes food through the gastrointestinal tract) It carries food from the pharynx to the stomach

---Stomach

---Pancreas

The pancreas is an accessory organ about 6-10 inches long It produces pancreatic juices and insulin

The stomach is located at the end of the esophagus It is a highly acidic environment due to gastric acid and hydrochloric acid production and secretion It usually has a pH range of 1 to 4 Such an environment is able to break down large molecules (such as from food) to smaller ones so that the molecules can eventually be absorbed by the small intestine The stomach can produce and secrete about 2 to 3 liters of gastric acid per day. The stomach also churns molecules of food

---Small Intestine

When the rectum is full, the increase in intra rectal pressure forces the walls of the anal canal apart allowing the fecal matter to enter the canal

The small intestine is part of the digestive (gastrointestinal) tract and is located in between the stomach and the large intestine The small intestine contains small finger-like ridges called villi Villi help absorb the nutrients from the 'food' into the bloodstream The small intestine (Average=25 feet) is typically 4-5 times longer than the large intestine (Average=5 feet) , but is referred to as the small intestine because it is smaller in diameter than the large intestine

---Large Intestine (Cecum, Colon)

The large intestine (also called cecum, but more commonly referred to as the colon) is also part of the gastrointestinal tract and is located by the pancreas and wraps around to the end of the small intestine It is the last part of the digestive system Its function is to absorb the remaining water from indigestible food matter, stores these unusable food matter (wastes) and then eliminates the wastes from the body The large intestine takes 12 to 24 hours to finish up the remaining processes of the digestive system

---Rectum

Rectum is Latin for straight intestine, for it is the final straight portion of the colon (large intestine) The human rectum is about 5 inches long The rectum acts as a temporary storage facility for feces (waste) As the rectal walls expand, stretch receptors from the nervous system located in the rectal walls stimulate the desire to defecate (remove waste matter from the body) If the urge is not acted upon, the material in the rectum is often returned to the colon, where more water is absorbed. If defecation is delayed for an extended amount of time, the results are constipation and hardened feces (non-liquid waste)

---Anus

External opening of the rectum Feces (non-liquid waste products) are expelled from the body through the anus

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