Final Stage of the Digestive System
The large intestine is much shorter than the small intestine. It is about three feet long and two inches in diameter.the first small section of the large intestine is called caecum. After the caecum, there are three main sections that are like three sides of a square. They are the ascending colon, the transverse colon, and the descending colon. The last part of the large intestine is the colon. The appendix is a small structure attached to the large intestine. It is not involved in digestion or absorption of food, but may be involved in the immune system.
All the useful food absorption is already done in the small intestine. Only the waste matter and water remains in the large intestine. The water has mineral salts in it and the large intestine’s main function is to remove water and salt from the waste. When the waste and water reaches the large intestine through a valve called ileocaecal sphincter, it travels through the walls and enters the blood capillaries. Through these, the water and salts enter the blood to be used by the body. The rest of the waste becomes more solid forming the brown waste material called feces. Feces is stored in the rectum until the person it ready to remove it when they go to the toilet. Feces is removed through a muscular valve called the anus. The opening and closing of this valve can be controlled by the person voluntarily unlike the other valves of the digestive system (Ballard, 1997). The feces most often contain bacteria that can cause diseases. It is very important to have good hygiene practices to avoid getting sick or causing infections (Walker & Wood, 2003).
The large intestine is much shorter than the small intestine. It is about three feet long and two inches in diameter.the first small section of the large intestine is called caecum. After the caecum, there are three main sections that are like three sides of a square. They are the ascending colon, the transverse colon, and the descending colon. The last part of the large intestine is the colon. The appendix is a small structure attached to the large intestine. It is not involved in digestion or absorption of food, but may be involved in the immune system.
All the useful food absorption is already done in the small intestine. Only the waste matter and water remains in the large intestine. The water has mineral salts in it and the large intestine’s main function is to remove water and salt from the waste. When the waste and water reaches the large intestine through a valve called ileocaecal sphincter, it travels through the walls and enters the blood capillaries. Through these, the water and salts enter the blood to be used by the body. The rest of the waste becomes more solid forming the brown waste material called feces. Feces is stored in the rectum until the person it ready to remove it when they go to the toilet. Feces is removed through a muscular valve called the anus. The opening and closing of this valve can be controlled by the person voluntarily unlike the other valves of the digestive system (Ballard, 1997). The feces most often contain bacteria that can cause diseases. It is very important to have good hygiene practices to avoid getting sick or causing infections (Walker & Wood, 2003).