CBSE Class 10 Answered
The digestive system in human beings consists of the alimentary canal and associated digestive glands. The alimentary canal consists of mouth, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and anus. The associated glands consist of salivary glands, liver, pancreas, gastric and intestinal glands.
Mouth
Food starts its journey from the mouth or the oral cavity. There are many other organs that contribute to the digestion process including teeth, salivary glands, and tongue. Teeth are designed to grind food particles into small pieces and are moistened with saliva before the tongue pushes the food into the pharynx.
Pharynx
A fibromuscular y shaped tube attached to the terminal end of the mouth. It is mainly involved in the passage of chewed/crushed food from the mouth through the esophagus.
Oesophagus
This is a muscular tube that connects the pharynx which is a part of an upper section of the gastrointestinal tract. It supplies swallowed food along with its length.
Stomach
It serves as a muscular bag which is situated towards the left side of the abdominal cavity, beneath the diaphragm. This vital organ acts as storage for the food and provides enough time to digest meals. The stomach also produces digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid that maintains the process of digestion.
Pancreas
It is a larger gland present just inferior to the stomach. It is short with its head connected to the duodenum and tail pointing towards the left part of the abdominal cavity. The pancreas releases digestive enzymes to complete the process of chemical digestion.
Small Intestine
It is a thin, long tube of about 10 feet long and a part of the lower gastrointestinal tract. It is mainly involved in the complete digestion of food.
Large Intestine
This is a thick, long tube measuring around 5 feet in length. It is present just beneath to the stomach. Waste products are passed through the large intestine and eliminated out of the body as a solid matter called stool.