Q&A for How to Draw a Model of the Digestive System

The main function of the epiglottis is to seal off the windpipe during eating, so that food is not accidentally inhaled.

Food that contains fat enters the digestive system and stimulates hormone production, which in turn causes the contraction of the gallbladder, allowing the release of bile into the small intestine for the absorption of fat to occur.

The duodenum is the first part of the small intestine. The jejunum is the middle part of the small intestine. The ileum is close to the last part of the small intestine. The caecum connects the small and large intestine.

The anus is the end of the digestive system and expels waste. It detects the contents of the rectum and then releases waste out of the body.

The function of the appendix is unknown. One theory is that the appendix acts as a storehouse for good bacteria, “rebooting” the digestive system after diarrheal illnesses. Other experts believe the appendix is just a useless remnant from our evolutionary past.

The pancreas is an accessory digestive organ. It functions to control blood glucose levels (releasing insulin to reduce blood glucose levels, and glucagon to increase blood glucose levels), but it also releases many digestive enzymes into the small intestine that help chemically digest food (proteins, carbs, etc).

No, the digestive system if for digesting food. The immune system keeps your body healthy and is what your body uses to fight colds.

The gallbladder's main function is to store bile, which helps the body break down the fats that you eat.

Bile juice is a digestive juice or secretion which is continuously secreted by the liver into a nearby sac-like structure called the gallbladder. Now, when chyme (partially undigested food from the stomach) is passed into the duodenum (the first part of the small intestine), the gallbladder releases the stored bile into the duodenum. Bile breaks down large globules of fats into smaller globules of fat, helping in digestion. Imagine if you poured a glug of oil into a glass of water. If you put in bile, the puddle of oil would be split into smaller puddles. It also contains sodium bicarbonate (more commonly known as baking soda) which as a base, neutralizes the chyme's acid content.

The rectum is a part of the large intestine that acts as a storage unit for faecal matter. The anus is an opening through which the faecal matter is egested or expelled from the body. The faecal matter is passed from the colon to the rectum and when the anal sphincter (the muscles around the anal opening) thinks it's time to eliminate the faecal matter, the normally closed anus opens for defecation (the egestion or elimination of faeces).

The rectum is the last part of the large intestine and stores faecal matter, which is passed from the colon into the rectum, until the matter gets expelled from the body or egested.

In adult humans it is about 1.5 meters or 5 feet long.

It uses enzymes to break down food for absorption in the small intestine.

Because sometimes when food is being moved from the small intestine to the large intestine, it can enter the appendix and get stuck there, causing dangerous bacteria to grow.