Anatomy and Cell Biology 3319 Lecture : Anatomy Notes

• School: Western University
• Department: Anatomy and Cell Biology
• Course: Anatomy and Cell Biology 3319
• Professor: Peter Merrifield

Document Summary

The lower digestive system consists of the small intestine, large intestine, rectum, and anus. Small intestine: it is involved in digestion and absorption. During digestion, the small intestine undergoes segmentation movements which shuffle the chime back and forth and increase its contact with the nutrient-absorbing mucosa. Peristalsis propels the chime through the small intestine. The small intestine runs from the pyloric sphincter to the first part of the large intestine. It has three distinct regions and is about 6m long in total. The duodenum is about 25cm long, is c-shaped, and is secondarily retroperitoneal. The jejunum makes up 2/5 of the total length and the ileum makes up. The jejunum and ileum are attached to the posterior abdominal wall via the fan-shaped mesentery of the small intestine. The jejunum makes up the superior left part and the ileum the inferior right part of the intestinal mass.