Human excretory system
The human excretory system is essential for the disposal of waste generated by the body, playing a critical role in maintaining overall health. This system includes key organs such as the intestines, kidneys, and bladder, each contributing uniquely to the waste elimination process. It works closely with the digestive system, which breaks down food and prepares waste for expulsion. The kidneys filter harmful byproducts from the blood, producing urine, which is stored in the bladder until it is expelled through the urethra. Solid waste is managed differently, passing from the intestines to the colon and then to the rectum before being eliminated via the anus. Proper functioning of the excretory system is vital; its failure can lead to toxic waste buildup, which may result in serious health issues like renal failure or diarrhea. A balanced diet and adequate hydration are crucial for the excretory system to perform efficiently over time. Understanding this system highlights its importance in our daily bodily functions and overall well-being.
Human excretory system
The human excretory system is the set of processes by which the human body disposes of waste. The system consists of various organs, including the intestines, kidneys, and colon, all of which play a unique and vital role in keeping the system operational. The excretory system works in constant tandem with the digestive system, which breaks down food and prepares the waste material that the excretory system will eventually process and expel from the body.
The Digestive System
The makeup and functions of the excretory system continue and complete the processes carried out by the digestive system. The digestive system is composed of all the processes that break down food and distribute its useful energy all over the body. As with every other internal human system, the digestive system follows a specific series of steps to perform properly.
First, food is chewed and made smaller and softer in the mouth. Then, it passes down the esophagus tube into the large muscular sac of the stomach. Here the food begins to be broken down into materials useful to the body. Because this is only the first stage of digestion, the food is still too large for the body to absorb and use. This is why the food then passes from the stomach to the small intestine. The small intestine is a smaller digestive organ that dissolves food into the more refined material that the body can process. While the digestive system absorbs food, it simultaneously separates the excess materials it cannot use, which then pass into the excretory system as waste.
The Excretory System
The excretory system collects waste from two sources. One is the food material that the body cannot use, while the other is the byproducts of the body's own internal chemical processes. Among many others, these processes include breathing and ingesting water, both necessary bodily tasks that produce a significant amount of waste.
In the case of breathing, the body takes in a certain amount of carbon dioxide along with the oxygen it requires. Using the lungs, the excretory system expels this gas back out through the mouth. The water that people drink is also important to the proper functioning of the excretory system. Water allows the system to expel excess salt in the body, either in the form of sweat through the skin or as urine, or waste liquid.
The processing of urine is performed by the kidneys, which are two fist-sized, bean-shaped organs in the lower back that process about two hundred quarts of liquid every day. The body absorbs most of this, sending only two quarts to the bladder, a hollow, muscular sac that expands to store the urine until it can be expelled. The bladder does this by passing the urine to the urethra, a long, thin tube that carries urine out of the body.
Human beings expel solid wastes through an entirely different process within this same excretory system. Food waste passes from the stomach to the large intestine, a long, coiled organ connected to the small intestine. The majority of the long, hose-like structure of the large intestine is composed of the colon, which contains several parts. The ascending colon leads to the body's right abdomen, while the transverse colon crosses to the left side of the body. The final part is the descending colon, where solid waste begins its final journey out of the body. This colon leads through the tube of the rectum to the anal canal and the anus. Two sphincters, muscles that contract and close the anus, eventually release the waste. Of the eight to ten quarts of solid food filtered through the body every day, about three to eight ounces leave the body as excrement.
Problems of the Excretory System
Like every other complex system of the body, the excretory system is absolutely vital to human life. The wastes it expels can become toxic and lethal if allowed to accumulate in the body without release. This is why malfunction of any part of the system must be swiftly identified and managed.
Renal failure, or the cease of kidney function, is one of the most dangerous of these. This can be caused by a medical condition or direct damage to the kidneys. In any case, if blood flow to or from the kidneys is impaired, it can lead to a buildup of poisonous bile in the blood, which can cause death within days. If medications cannot restore the proper blood flow to and from the kidneys, a person may need the support of a dialysis machine, which eliminates toxins from the blood.
Diarrhea is another abnormality of the excretory system. This occurs when a certain consumed food becomes chemically abrasive to the intestines. In this instance, the excretory system manages the impediment to digestion by rapidly emptying the intestines of its contents—both solid and liquid waste. Diarrhea can become life-threatening if it lasts too long. This is because the body expels all fluid and other waste without having digested and absorbed any nutrients from it. The regular consumption of fluids and healthy foods help the excretory system operate properly over a long period.
Bibliography
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Avila, Vernon L. Biology: Investigating Life on Earth. Boston: Jones and Bartlett, 1995. 622–624. Print.
Gold, Susan Dudley. Learning About the Digestive and Excretory Systems. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers, 2013. 5–16. Print.
"The Digestive System." The Human Body: Digestive, Circulatory, Reproductive, & Excretory Systems. Scottsdale, AZ: Remedia Publications, 2001. 2–3. Print.