Digestive System: Constituent Organs And Their Functions (Essay Sample)

Digestive System
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The digestive system
The digestive arrangement refers to the gastrointestinal tract which constitutes of a hollow continuous tube that begins at the oral cavity and closes at the anus (Moini, 2010). This system is also commonly known as alimentary canal or the gastrointestinal tract. This research paper discusses the digestive system, its function in the human body, the constituent organs and their functions.
Functions of the system
The system has five functions which include ingestion, digestion, secretion, absorption, and elimination. The intake refers to the process where the oral cavity allows food to enter the digestive tract through the mouth where chewing occurs. The result of the chewing is that the food bolus is swallowed.
The digestion function includes having some muscular movements of the digestive tract which physically break down the food into smaller particles. The process of breakdown the particles mostly occurs in the stomach and mouth. It also involves some chemical reactions which take place through the assistance of enzymes to chemically break down the food particles into their constituent nutrient particles into very smaller sizes to make it easy for them to be absorbed.
The secretion task involves releasing a variety of enzymes and fluids at particular parts of the tract. The purpose of these enzymes and fluids in the digestion process is to facilitate and enhance the chemical digestion (Ebneshahidi, 2006).
The fourth function of the system is absorption. This process occurs in the small intestines where the food molecules in the digestive tract move from the gastrointestinal tract into the blood system for distribution to the body cells. The digestion takes place by the particles passing within the surfaces of the small intestines into the blood vessels.
The last function involves elimination of the materials that is not needed in the body. Some of the food taken by a person is not digested into the body, and it has to be eliminated through the rectum and anus by defecation.
Organs of the digestive system and their functions
The digestive system has two forms of organs, the gastrointestinal stretch and the accessory organs (Meurier & Crouch, 2011). Organs in the system are the oral cavity, pharynx, throat, belly, small intestines, colon, rectum and the anus. The associate organs consist of the salivary spleens, liver, tongue, gallbladder, teeth, and pancreas.
Organs of digestive tract
The tract begins at the mouth also known as the oral cavity, and the digestion process also starts here. The process of chewing occurs in the mouth which is the rupture down of the particles into smaller pieces and form that the body can absorb and use. As the breaking down takes place, the salivary glands release saliva which mixes with food and enhances the breakdown.
The throat or the pharynx is attached to the edge of the mouth and transfers the particles of crushed food from the oral cavity to the oesophagus.
The next organ is the oesophagus which is a hollow pipe that attaches the pharynx and the belly. The food passes through this tube in a set of contractions commonly distinguished as peristalsis. At the end of the tube, there is a section of unusual force called the weaker oesophagal sphincter. The section contains a device designed to prevent particles from going rearward into the oesophagus once it reaches the belly.
The stomach is muscular sac on the left-hand part of the abdomen. The primary function of the stomach is holding the food particles before it proceeds to the small intestines. Also, the stomach also mixes and grinds the food into further smaller particles. The stomach releases the hydrochloric acid and other necessary catalysts that still sustain the method of splitting down the food particles and changes it into the form of liquid and paste.
The food then moves into the small intestines which a long thin tube and takes about 10 feet in length. The intestines are coiled, and the inside on the inside has several ridges and folds. These folds increase the surface area available for the absorpt...