Digestive and Urinary Questions in Text

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Critical Thinking Questions: 3

3. What effect is a before-dinner alcoholic cocktail likely to have on digestion? Well, first of all it could deteriorate the lining of the digestive tract and possibly make your stomach a bit upset during digestion. It could also effect the liver in terms of producing bile, so the food might take a while longer to digest than normally. Why are such beverages inadvisable for persons with ulcers? Because the lining of the digestive tract at the site of the ulcer is already deteriorated, so further deterioration due to alcohol consumption could lead to more ulcers and quite possibly a hole in the digestive tract.



Review Exercises: 1, 2, 5, 7, 12, and 25

1. List and describe the locations of the major parts of the alimentary canal. First you have your mouth, where you chew up the food. Then you have the pharynx, which is basically the back of your throat. Then the food travels down the esophagus and into the stomach, where bile is added to start the breakup of the food particles. Then the food travels into the small intestine, where more bile is added and the breakup continues. Most nutritional absorbtion happens in the small intestine. The food travels into the colon, or large intestine, and is then turned into a solid waste which is stored in your rectum until the time comes to rid your body of it.

2. List and describe the locations of the accessory organs of the digestive system. First is the teeth, which are in the mouth and help chew food. Next are the salivary glands, which begin the breakup of food in the mouth. Then you have the galbladder and the pancreas, which are both located between the liver and the stomach. The gallbladder stores and secretes bile from the liver and the pancreas secretes digestive enzymes into the duodenum of the small intestine.

5. Define peristalsis. The squeezy, circular motion around a tube that allows food to be pushed down, as it is in the digestive tract.

7. Describe the general effects of parasympathetic and sympathetic impulses on the alimentary canal. The parasympathetic nervous system allows for increased digestive activity and relaxes sphincters. The sympathetic nervous system somewhat tightens the digestive tract and doesn't allow digestion to be as easy as normal.

12. Describe the structure of a tooth. The white part of your tooth is called the enamel, or the crown. Underneath that is the dentine, and then the pulp which contains all the blood vessels and nerves. At the root of your tooth (everything under the gum), the root canal goes deep into the bone of your jaw.

25. Explain the mechanism of vomiting. Basically, if you eat something that "doesn't sit well with your stomach" your stomach will be able to sense that it must get rid of the waste before it travels into your small intestine. The cardiac sphincter, which separates the esophagus and the stomach, will open, and all stomach contents will be pushed upwards so that you can throw it up.



Pages 855:

Review Exercises: 1, 3, 9, 16, 34, 36, 37, 40:


1. Name the organs of the urinary system. The kidneys, the ureter, the bladder, and the urethra.

3. List the functions of the kidneys. First, they filter the liquid that enters them and takes out all the nutrients, which is absorbed into the blood stream, leaving behind urine to be excreted. They also filter the blood and keep it clean!

9. Distinguish among filtration, reabsorbtion, and secretion as they relate to the urinary system.
Filtration - the filtering of the blood through the kidneys.
Reabsorbtion - the kidneys reabsorb certain essential nutrients for the body.
Secretion - Anything that was not reabsorbed into the blood stream is discarded in the form of urine.

16. Define autoregulation. The natural ability of an organ to maintain a constant blood flow despite changes in pressure.

34. Describe the structure and function of a ureter. Ureters are small tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder to be excreted.

36. Discuss what happens if a ureter becomes obstructed. Well, first the urine would not be able to go anywhere, so it would block up the kidneys and injure them. Also, you might not be able to urinate correctly, or the urine might be bloody or cloudly. Also, it would definitely cause severe pain.

37. Describe the structure and location of the urinary bladder. The location of the bladder is situated right above the urethra, so if you were to point, it would be near your lower abdomen. Basically, the bladder is not a little colorful balloon that fills with urine. It is actually a reddish sac that can stretch pretty far to hold urine.

40. Compare the urethra of a female with that of a male. The female urethra is a lot shorter compared to the male's. A male's urethra is also used to carry semen.