Colorectal Anatomy : The Large Intestine

2. Name the structure that is a double fold of peritoneum and holds the colon to the abdominal wall.

The esophagus receives food from the mouth after swallowing and then delivers it to the stomach. The stomach holds food which it is being mixed with enzymes which continue the process of breaking down the food into a useable form. When the contents of the stomach are processed they are released into the small intestine. In the small intestine food is broken down by enzymes released from the pancreas and bile from the liver, the food is moved through and mixed with digestive secretions. The small intestine is made up of three segments the duodenum, jejunum and the ileum, the jejunum and the ileum are mainly responsible from the absorption of nutrients in to the bloodstream. These contents start out semi-solid and end in a liquid form after passing through the organ. Water, bile, enzymes and mucous change its consistency, one the nutrients have been absorbed it then moves onto the large intestine. The large intestine connects to the rectum and is specialised in processing water so that emptying the bowels is easy.

Colon and rectum are both located in the digestive system. There are two parts of the digestive system. Upper part of the digestive system included stomach and small intestine, in which their job is to digest food for energy. Lower part of the digestive system are called gastrointestinal system, where colon and rectum are located. Its function is to absorb fluid to form solid waste then passes from the body as a stool. Small intestine made up of the most part of the digestive system, it is about 20 feet long. It break down the foods and absorb most of the nutrients. Then it pass to the large intestine which is mainly made up of a muscular tube, colon, and it is about 5 feet long. The colon can be divided into 4 section. Ascending colon, it is the beginning of the colon that included the cecum, where the appendix attaches to the colon. Transverse colon, the second section of the colon. It located in the upper abdomen and from the right to the left. The next section is called descending colon, the lower abdomen and from the left to right. The last section,

What are the three sections of the large intestine and what roles does each play in digestion or absorption?

triggers the opening of the ileocecal valve, allowing materials to pass from the small intestine into the large intestine.

Once again my mini-sub and I will be miniaturized (8 microns long) and witnessing another ‘Fantastic Voyage’ in a human body. This time I will be swallowed by George, a 55 years old man, while he is eating his meal consisting of a hamburger, French fries and a soda. I will pilot my mini-sub through George’s GI (gastrointestinal tract), which is the tube that starts with the mouth and proceeds to the esophagus, stomach, duodenum, small intestine, large intestine (or colon), rectum and, finally, the anus (Pansky, 2007). Along this pathway I will describe the digestion of George’s meal and the major structures that I will encounter. Arrived to the distal

The digestive system of the horse consists of a simple stomach, small intestines, cecum, large and small colons, rectum and anus. The horse 's stomach is comparatively small for its size. The stomach of an average horse has a holding capacity of about two gallons. This may be the reason horses eat small but frequent meals. From the stomach food moves to the small intestine, which is the main site of digestion. The small intestine empties into the cecum. The cecum; along with the large colon; make up the large intestine. Digestion in the large intestine occurs by action of bacteria and protozoa. (arg.gov.sk.ca)

The colon also known as the large intestine is an important contributor to the gastrointestinal tract. After food is absorbed in the small intestine it is pushed into the large intestine where the remaining water and vitamin k is absorbed. This is where the absorption water is most important in the G.I tract in keeping excretions regular. Also, the colon is a rich source of microorganisms. Bacteria in the colon assist in the digestion of nutrients we are not able to do because we lack those enzymes that specifically breakdown carbohydrates. To disrupt the balance of the microorganisms or bacteria would in fact cause more harm to your health.

Once again we have been miniaturized in the submarine to continue the fantastic voyage of the digestive system. We will be touring a 55-year-old male. The host will be having a hamburger, French fries, and a root beer. We will be tracing lunch through the digestion process. Digestion is the process of turning the food that is ate into energy needed to survive and involves creating waste to be eliminated. (Mohan, 2010). The digestive tract is a long twisting tube that starts at the mouth and ends at the anus, called the alimentary canal. The wall of this tube is fashioned of four layers of tissue. The layers are listed from the inside coat to the outside coat: mucosa or mucus membrane, submucosa, muscularis, and serosa. The hollow space

The large intestines are a part of the digestive system (Colorectal cancer, 2015). The large intestines (large bowels) are made up of the colon and the rectum (What is colorectal cancer, 2016). The colon is five feet long muscular tube that makes up the majority of the large bowel (What is colorectal cancer, 2016). After food goes through the small intestines, of the digestive system, the colon absorbs the salt and water from the food that remains and the waste matter (feces) is the byproduct (What is colorectal cancer, 2016). The feces is then expelled from the body through the anus (What is colorectal cancer, 2016).

The small intestine continues breaking down the food and absorbs most of the nutrients. The liver and the pancreas release bile and enzymes into the small bowel to aid in this process. The small intestine joins the large intestine or large bowel, a muscular tube about five feet long. The first part of the large bowel, called the colon continues to absorb water and mineral nutrients from the food matter and serves as a storage place for waste matter. The waste matter left after this process goes into the rectum, the final 6 inches, or so of the large bowel. From there, it passes out of the body through the anus.

There was a time I use to consider the colon as a passage for waste products. However, after reading a couple of health related articles, I found that the colon plays many roles in the body, and not just as a passage for waste products. Unfortunately, it is one of the less recognized organs in the body.

abdominal and pelvic organs (Thibodeau and Patton, 2007, pg. 533). The arrangement of the major

The external sphincter is a cylindrical striated muscle under voluntary control and comprises predominantly slow-twitch muscle fibres, capable of prolonged contraction. With age there is a shift towards more type II (rapid) fibres (Cni, 1993). The external sphincter has a nerve supply by the inferior rectal branch of the pudendal nerve (S2, S3) and the perineal branch of the fourth sacral nerve (S4). Primary function is closure of the anal canal to postpone evacuation, regulation is partly reflex (e.g., sudden increase in abdominal pressure) and partly voluntary through the visceral and somatic afferent and somatic efferent nerves. The external sphincter also contributes to some extent to the anal resting tone. The external sphincter constitutes the inferior outer aspect of the anal sphincter and envelops the inter-sphincteric space . The external sphincter is approximately 2.7 cm high, but is anteriorly shorter in women (approximately 1.5 cm) (Rociu et al., 2000). The lateral part of the external sphincter is

The appendix is a tubed shaped organ attached to the lower end of the large intestine. For a long period of time, the appendix was seen as a vestigial structure in the human body. However, scientists began to perform experiments in order to discover that the appendix might actually have a true purpose in the human body. It is hypothesized today that this structure might assist in the role of storing good bacteria in the body. The two articles discussed in this paper explain two author’s differing hypotheses of how the function of the appendix actually evolved to what it is today.