Kidneys The kidneys are bean shaped organs which are present in each of the sides of the Vertebral columnin the abdominal cavity. Humans have two kidneys and each kidney is supplied with blood from the Renal artery. Kidney removes the nitrogenous wastes from the blood such as urea and salts and excess water are also removed from the blood and excrete them in the form of urine. This is done by the help of millions of Nephronspresent in the kidney. The filtrated blood is carried away from the kidneys by the Renal vein(or kidney vein). The urine from the kidney is collected by the Ureter (or excretory tubes), one from each kidney, and is passed to the Urinary bladder. Urinary bladder collects and stores the urine until urination. The urine collected in the bladder is passed into the external environment from the body through an opening called Urethra. Liver The liver detoxifies and breaks down chemicals, poisons and other toxins that enter the body. For example, the liver transforms ammonia (which is poisonous) into urea (which is then filtered by the kidney into urine). The liver also produces bile, and the body uses bile to breakdown fats into usable fats and unusable waste. Bile After bile is produced in the liver, it is stored in the gall bladder. It is then secreted within the small intestine where it helps to break down ethanol, fats and other acidic wastes including ammonia, into harmless substances. Large intestine The large intestine collects waste from throughout the body. It extracts any remaining usable water and then removes solid waste. At about 10 feet long, it transports the wastes through the tubes to be excreted. Skin Skin excretes sweat through sweat glands throughout the body. This helps to remove additional wastes, such as excess urine. Furthermore, the sweat, helped by salt, evaporates and helps to keep the body cool when it is warm. Eccrine Like sweat glands, eccrine glands allow excess water to leave the body.The majority of eccerine glands are located mainly on the forehead, the bottoms of the feet, and the palms, although the glands are everywhere throughout the body. They help the body to maintain temperature control. Component organs Skin Sweat glandsin the skin secrete a fluid waste called sweat or perspiration; however, its primary functions are temperature control and pheromone release. Therefore, its role as a part of the excretory system is minimal. Sweating also maintains the level of salt in the body. Lungs Main article: Lungs One of the main functions of the lungsis to diffuse gaseous wastes, such as carbon dioxide, from the bloodstream as a normal part of respiration. Kidneys Main article: Kidneys The kidneys primary function is the elimination of waste from the bloodstream by production of urine. They perform several homeostatic functions such as:- 1.Maintain volume of extracellular fluid 2.Maintain ionic balance in extracellular fluid 3.Maintain pH and osmotic concentration of the extracellular fluid. 4.Excrete toxic metabolic by-products such as urea, ammonia, and uric acid. The way the kidneys do this is with nephrons. There are over 1 million nephrons in each kidney, these nephrons act as filters inside the kidneys. The kidneys filter needed materials and waste, the needed materials go back into the bloodstream, and unneeded materials becomes urine and is gotten rid of. In some cases, excess wastes crystallize as kidney stones. They grow and can become a painful irritant that may require surgery or ultrasound treatments. Some stones are small enough to be forced into the urethra.
Posted on: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 08:32:00 +0000
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