1-humanbody选修课.pptVIP

The digestive system The liquid remainder of the food enters the large intestine, or colon, which is about 12 feet (3.7 meters) long. It is more than twice as wide as the small intestine. In the large intestine most of the fluid is absorbed, and the relatively dry residues are expelled. The urinary system The urinary system maintains normal levels of water and of certain small molecules such as sodium and potassium in the body. It does this by passing blood through the kidneys, two efficient filtering organs that get rid of any excess of various molecules and conserve those molecules that are in short supply. : The urinary system The fluid that leaves the kidneys, known as urine, travels through a tube called the ureter to the bladder. The bladder holds the urine until it is voided from the body through another tube, the urethra. : The endocrine system The endocrine system. The two systems that control body activities are the endocrine system and the nervous system. The former exerts its control by means of chemical messengers called hormones. Hormones are produced by a variety of endocrine glands, which release the hormones directly into the blood stream. The endocrine system A major gland is the pituitary, which is located under the brain in the middle of the head. It produces at least eight hormones, which affect growth, kidney function, and development of the sex organs. Because some of the pituitarys hormones stimulate other glands to produce their own hormones, the pituitary is called the master gland. The endocrine system Another gland, the thyroid, is located between the collar bones. Its hormone controls the rate of the bodys metabolism. The sex organs (ovaries and testes) make the sex cells and also make hormones that control certain characteristics of males and females. Located on top of each kidney is the adrenal gland, which produces cortisone and adrenaline. The pancreas produces not only digestive enzymes but also insulin and glucagon, which control