In order to study the digestive system of the human body thoroughly, it is necessary to understand where each part of the system is located. To begin with, the organs that participate in the process of digestion can be divided into two large groups. The first group unites body parts that form the alimentary tract that is a long canal.
Speaking about the parts of the given tract, it is necessary to list the mouth that is regarded as the beginning of the track, the throat (which is located in the front part of the neck), the esophagus that can be also called a food pipe (which is located between the throat and the stomach), the stomach (which is located in the abdominal region and below the diaphragm). Apart from that, the alimentary tract includes the small intestine or intestinum tenue that is located in the lower central part of the abdominal region and the large intestine located in the lower part of the abdominal cavity. In the end, there are the rectum and the anus at the end of the alimentary tract that is located in the lesser pelvis.
The second group of organs that allow the human body to process alimentary products and maintain the appropriate level of energy unites so-called accessory organs (“Accessory organs,” n.d.). These organs are supposed to fulfil important functions that make it possible for the human body to digest the food but they differ from the organs belonging to the first group as the food being digested does not pass through them. Thus, accessory organs include the teeth (there are two rows located in upper and lower jawbones), the tongue (in the lower part of the mouth). Apart from that, these organs include the parotid salivary glands (it is the organ that is located below the concha of the auricle) which is the largest out of three types of glands, the submandibular glands (the organ located below the lower jaw), and the Rivinus glands (the smallest out of three glands) located in the floor of the mouth cavity (Husney & Thompson, 2015).
Also, speaking about the organs whose activity is strictly interconnected with the process of food digestion, it is necessary to mention liver that is located in the right part of the abdominal region near the stomach. The next part of the digestive system of the human body is the cholecystis or the gall bladder – this term is used in order to denote the organ which is located in the right lower part of the abdominal region, it is a little bit lower than the liver. In the end, this group of organs related to the process of digestion includes pancreas that can be also called the pancreatic gland; the latter is the organ that is located in the left part of the abdominal region and it is very close to the stomach.
There is no doubt that the construction of the digestive system of the human body remains an extremely significant topic when it comes to different subjects. Digestion belongs to the number of processes of vital importance, and it is critical to understand the way that the digestive system works, the particular functions that digestive organs fulfil, and their location relative to each other.
Considering the importance of a clear understanding of food digestion in the human body, it may be necessary to develop an effective technique that would allow anyone to memorize the location of the parts mentioned. In order to retain the information of where each body part related to the process of food digestion is located, I will apply the combination of a few techniques as I believe that those studying methods that encourage the human brain to work with different kinds of information simultaneously can be called the most effective due to the fact that they help a person to see the aggregate picture of certain phenomenon or process.
To begin with, nowadays, it is widely accepted that there are different learning styles and it can be regarded as an extremely important practice if a person tries to pay increased attention to his or her distinctive features while processing and memorizing certain information. In order to better understand the work of the digestive system of the human body and memorize the location of the organs responsible for processing alimentary products, I decided to utilize my knowledge in the sphere of learning techniques as well.
First, I suppose that learning the information presented with the help of visual means can be regarded as the best way for me to memorize something. To fulfil this task using eidetic memory, I can perform the following actions: have a look at every single organ presented in the picture (one by one), have a look at the whole picture, close my eyes, and then try to process the information and see everything as a system (“The visual (spatial) learning style,” 2017). What is more, it needs to be mentioned that this method of memorizing information can be used in succession many times and it can improve the result and make it easier to memorize the organs and their location. In general, I suppose that my skills related to visual memory are quite strong, and this is why I am going to rely on this method most of the time.
Apart from those who put an increased focus on visual information while learning, there are people who cannot memorize a great volume of information if they do not see the logical connection between the particular facts or objects. Consequently, those people who feel that they need to see the links between objects or concepts and the ways that they can influence each other can easily restore the information using this knowledge. In fact, I suppose that it is extremely important for me to use the elements related to the analytic learning style because I seem to demonstrate very good results when I try to see into a matter while learning new information.
In order to be able to memorize the location of those organs responsible for food digestion, I would apply the method allowing me to synthesize the information. To apply it, I will need to have a look at the picture where the digestive system of the human body is presented and consider each element that needs to be memorized. As for the first technique that I decided to use, it requires me to memorize the location of every single element of the digestive system. Applying the second one, I will have to pay the acute attention to the links that exist between the organs located in the same anatomical regions. For instance, in order to memorize the location of salivary glands, I will have to explain to myself that they are responsible for producing saliva that allows mammals to process a food bolus with the help of jaws, and it means that the glands are located near the mouth cavity.
Therefore, using this method, I will have to draw the links between each part of the digestive system and other parts located nearby. In fact, it is necessary to assume that the implementation of this approach may involve certain time expenditures. At the same time, this way to process the information on the digestive system is much better when there is a need to understand the process instead of memorizing separate facts.
The mouth cavity remains an extremely important part of the digestive system as there are many important processes that the organs located in this area are involved in. These processes include propulsion (the teeth and the tongue help to move the food bolus along) and mechanical digestion (the teeth are used to reduce the food to fragments). Apart from that, the organs located in the mouth such as salivary glands also initiate chemical digestion as the parotid fluid makes the food softer and, therefore, prepares it for further processing.
As for the esophagus and digestive processes associated with this part of the digestive apparatus, it is necessary to mention propulsion. With the help of the esophagus, the food bolus can be delivered to the stomach where it will be processed.
The stomach is the organ that is responsible for the process of chemical digestion (the food is mixed with gastric juice). Also, there are the processes of mechanical digestion and propulsion. Plain muscles located in the stomach process the food and prevent it from returning back to the esophagus – instead, they allow the food bolus to reach the small intestines. Importantly, when the food bolus is in the stomach, the nutrients are absorbed and one has a sense of fullness.
The next part of the digestive tract represented by the small intestines fulfils the following functions: propulsion (the myenteron propels the food to the large intestines), absorption (water, vitamins, and other nutrients are absorbed there), and chemical digestion.
In reference to the large intestines, this part of the digestive tract participates in such processes as propulsion (the body has to make away with the food that has already lost all its nutrients), chemical digestion (the breakage of dietary fibre), and mechanical digestion (represented by peristalsis).
Propulsion is the process that involves propelling the food bolus from one part of the digestive tract to another (“Peristalsis creates propulsion,” n.d.). Due to it, the food can reach the organs where it will be processed.
Absorption is the mechanism that takes place when the nutrients extracted from the food enter the blood. This process remains extremely important as it is strictly interconnected with the final goal of the digestion process.
Chemical digestion is the mechanism involving processing the food bolus with the help of different substances produced by the human body such as saliva or digestive juices (Martinez, 2014). Due to chemical digestion, the organism manages to extract the nutrients that need to be absorbed.
Mechanical digestion is the process that involves breaking the food into small pieces in order to make it easier to extract useful substances (“Mechanical and chemical digestion,” n.d.). Apart from that, it is easier for the muscle coat to propel the food that has been mechanically processed.
References
Accessory organs: Glands and organs that facilitate the process of digestion. (n.d.)
Husney, A. & Thompson, G. (2015). Salivary glands.
Martinez, J. (2014). What is chemical digestion?
Mechanical and chemical digestion. (n.d.)
Peristalsis creates propulsion: How food moves through the alimentary canal. (n.d.)
The visual (spatial) learning style. (2017).