The Washington times., 1933-09-26
CONTOURS DETERMINE CLOTHING LINES PURSUIT FASC
Secrets OF
Health
BY DIR. LOUIS e. BISCH
The Way the Intestinal Tract
Is Built


Is Built
From the mouth, through the
oesophagus, stomach, small in
testine and large intestine, q
continuous passage exists. When
food is swallowed, it remains
first in the stomach, where it
is broken up and mixed with
gastric Secretions.
Later 1t is forced, through the
muscular contractions of the
stomach, into the intestinal
tract, where digestion proper
takes place and from which the
nutritive food elements are abb
sorbed into the system.
The small intestine is surpris-
ingly long, about 20 feet.
Whereas the stomach lies well
up under the ribs on the left
side, the intestine is coiled up
in the abdominal cavity, what
is often enormously referred to
as the stomach.
Small Intestine
Where the small intestine
joins the stomach it is about
two inches in diameter. This
width gradually diminishes un-
til it is no more than an inch at
the point where it joins with
the large intestine.
Anatomists divide the small
intestine into three parts: the
duodenum, the jejunum and the
ileum.
The duodenum is a favorite
site for ulcers. It is eight
inches long, runs upwards,
then makes a complete bend.
The jejunum averages seven
and a half feet in length. The
ileum is the most twisted part
of all and often it is difficult
to decide where the jejunum
ends and the ileum begins.
Four distinct coats or layers
comprise the structure of the
small intestine. On the out
side is a serous layer, then
comes a muscular one, then a
submucous one and lastly a
mucous inner lining.
Glands
From this mucous coat tiny
finger-like projections extend
into the intestinal tube. This
arrangement increases the sur
face area and hence the alb
sorption powers Of the entire
tract.
Glands and nodes also char
acterize the structure of the
small intestine. So-called in
testinal glands, which secrete
digestive juices, are to be found
everywhere along the tract.
Lymph nodes are likewise nu-
merous.
After the small intestine
comes the large intestine and
this is only five feet long. Its
width varies from two and half
to one and half inches.
The large intestine also is di-
vided into three parts. These
are called respectively the
caecum, colon and rectum.
The caecum is really large
pouch-like diStension of the in
teStine proper. The small intes-
tine opens into it at the side,
as it were, and about two and
half inches from the end.
This anatomical arrangement
forms a kind of blind sac. It
is at the lower end Of this sac
that the opening Of the ap-
pendix is situated.
Appendix
An inch and a half is the
average length Of an appendix.
This varies markedly, however.
in different people. IT'S width
is about half an inch.
Being a closed tube at one
end food particles or mucous
can readily become lodged In
it. This, in fact, is a frequent
cause for appendicitis.
The colon, or last division of
the large intestine, consists of
an ascending, a transverse and
a descending portion. The lat
ter runs down the left side. The
colon is wholly a reservoir for
food residue while the begin
ming of the large intestine is
specially designed for the alb
Sorption of food elements