Anaesthesia & intensive care medicine
Volume 10, Issue 7 , Pages 336-338, July 2009

The mouth, stomach and intestines

Iain Campbell MD FRCA Consultant Anaesthetist, University Hospital of South Manchester and Visiting Professor of Human Physiology, Liverpool John Moores University. Conflicts of interest: none declared

Abstract 

Food is divided into digestible portions in the mouth and swallowed – a complex reflex process involving several cranial nerves. The stomach homogenizes food, begins digestion and regulates the rate at which food enters the duodenum. Pancreatic juices containing powerful digesting enzymes are added and digestion is completed in the small intestine. The large bowel dehydrates the gastrointestinal contents.

Keywords: colon, digestive enzymes, gastro-oesophageal sphincter, intestinal secretions, small intestine, stomach, stomach acid, swallowing

To access this article, please choose from the options below

Login to an existing account or Register a new account.

  • Purchase this article for 31.50 USD (You must login/register to purchase this article)

    Online access for 24 hours. The PDF version can be downloaded as your permanent record.

  • Subscribe to this title

    Get unlimited online access to this article and all other articles in this title 24/7 for one year.

  • Claim access now

    For current subscribers with Society Membership or Account Number.

  • Visit SciVerse ScienceDirect to see if you have access via your institution.
 

PII: S1472-0299(09)00129-5

doi:10.1016/j.mpaic.2009.04.018

Anaesthesia & intensive care medicine
Volume 10, Issue 7 , Pages 336-338, July 2009

Article Tools

* Image Usage & Resolution