Anatomy of the Digestive System

The digestive system is a musculomembraneous canal about 8½ metres in length. It extends from the oral cavity to the anus. It consists of the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine. The liver with gallbladder and pancreas are the large glands of the alimentary tract.

The first division of the alimentary tract is formed by the mouth. Important structures of the mouth are the teeth and the tongue, which is the organ of taste. The soft and hard palates and the salivary glands are also in the oral cavity.

From the mouth food passes through the pharynx to the esophagus and then to the stomach.

The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ. It is in the upper part of the abdomen under the diaphragm. It measures about 21-25 cm in length, 8-9 cm in its largest diameter. It has a capacity of from 2.14 to 4.28 litres.

The small intestine is a thin-walled muscular tube about 6.5 metres long. It is located in the middle portion of the abdominal cavity. The small intestine is composed of the duodenum, jejunum and ileum.

The large intestine is the last part of the alimentary tract. Its function is to absorb water from the remaining indigestible food matter, and then to pass useless waste material from the body. It is about 1.5 metres long. It is divided into caecum, colon and rectum.

The liver is the largest gland in the human body. It is in the right upper part of the abdominal cavity under the diaphragm. The weight of the liver is 1,500 g. This organ plays a major role in metabolism and has a number of functions in the body.

The gallbladder is a hollow sac lying on the lower surface of the liver, where bile is stored, before it is released into the small intestine.

The pancreas is a long thin gland lying behind the stomach.

5. Answer the questions to the text:

1. What is the digestive system?

2. What does the alimentary tract consist of?

3. What is the 1st division of the alimentary tract formed by?

4. What is the stomach?

5. What is the small intestine?

6. What is the function of the large intestine?

7. What largest glands in the human body do you know?

8. What is the function of the gallbladder?

6. Write down organs in their appropriate position:

Stomach, large intestine, liver, esophagus, small intestine, mouth.

7. Match the terms with their definitions:

8. Say what organ is spoken about:

1. This organ is the largest gland in the human body. It is in the upper part of the abdominal cavity under the diaphragm in the right side of the abdomen. This organ consists of small lobules connected together by connective tissue, different vessels and nerves.

2. This organ is pyriform (грушевидный) in shape. It is a dilated portion of the alimentary canal. It is in the upper part of the abdomen under the diaphragm. The liver is above this organ, and the colon is below it. The pancreas is behind this organ.

3. It is the beginning of the alimentary tract and the digestion starts here when taking the first bite of food. Chewing breaks the food into pieces that are more easily digested, while saliva mixes with food to begin the process of breaking it down into a form your body can absorb and use.

4. It is a tubular organ that lies behind the trachea and heart and in front of the spinal column; it passes through the diaphragm before entering the stomach.

5. This organ is a part of two different systems of the body, digestive system and respiratory system. It is a passageway leading from the mouth and nose to the esophagus and larynx.

6. This is a long, narrow gland that is located across the upper abdomen, behind the stomach and the spleen. It produces important digestive enzymes and hormone called insulin.

7. This is a hollow organ located beneath the right lobe of the liver and measures 8 centimeters in length. Its function is to store bile.

8. It is the last part of the digestive system. Water is absorbed here and the remaining waste material is stored before being removed by defecation.