Entry 5

The Large Intestine

This is the last part of the digestive system.

Its function is to absorb water from the remaining indigestible food matter, and then to pass out useless waste materials from the body through the anus(and into the toilet,or your worst enemy's living room,whichever you prefer).

The large intestine is about 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) long.

he large intestine takes 32 hours to finish up the remaining processes of the digestive system. Food is not broken down any further in this stage of digestion. The large intestine simply absorbs vitamins that are created by the bacteria inhabiting the colon. It also absorbs water and compacts feces, and stores fecal matter in the rectum until eliminated through the anus and this is responsible for passing along solid waste.

The large intestine houses over 700 species of bacteria that perform a variety of functions,and these bacteria produce large amounts of vitamin for absorption into the blood.Of course,due to such a large amount of bacteria in the large intestine,it has a wall of mucus to protect it from attacks from bacteria.

...Your apple pie doesn't look so appetizing anymore,now does it?

And that is all for the human digestive system!

OVERVIEW:

A quick one:



A serious,detailed,but perhaps boring one(Looks familiar to you?):



This one has a funny side:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7imREJnV30&feature=related



Q & A TIME!!!

Q:Can you actually EAT upside-down?




Can you,really,with the force of gravity working on you?Lets find out...

A: Yes, you can swallow upside down because the muscles around the esophagus are strong enough to push the food up to your stomach.Of course,it is definitely not recommended to try.


Q:Is holding your faeces good for your health?

...

A:Yes.It is.

No.I'm just kidding.

Faeces pass through the colon and wait inside of the rectum, triggering nerve endings to tell you that you need to use the bathroom. If you resist the urge for longer than 30 seconds, the feces goes back up into the colon, where the colon absorbs water from the stool and tries to pass it down to the rectum again. Besides absorbing all the bacterial waste, this obviously dries things out and if you wait too long it can give you extreme constipation.

Ow.


Q:Why does your faeces stink?

Hmm,good question...

A:The faeces that you excrete through your anus from the rectum may give of a bad smell due to the unwanted nutrients that are within the faeces. Unwanted products such as plant fibres is what makes the smell.

Another reason is it is the result of the products of bacterial action. Bacteria produce smelly, sulfur-rich organic compounds. These are the same compounds that give farts their odor.

Q:Why do you vomit?


A:For adults, vomiting is commonly a result of a viral infection and food poisoning, and occasionally a result of motion sickness and illnesses in which the person has a high fever. An amazing variety of stimuli can trigger vomiting.

Fortunately,sometimes just seeing someone else vomit will start you vomiting, in your body's effort to protect you from possible exposure to the same danger.

For kids,it is common for vomiting to occur from a viral infection, food poisoning, motion sickness, overeating or feeding, coughing, and illnesses in which the child has a high fever.For toddlers and babies,vomit occurs due to infections in the body.

Even anxiety can cause you to worry!

Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_intestine