9.1 - Digestive System

Structure of the Human Digestive System

The human digestive system consists of the alimentary canal , a long muscular tract which starts from the mouth and ends at the anus. The parts of the alimentary canal include:

• Mouth
• Esophagus
• Stomach
• Small intestine
• Large intestine
• Anus

Digestive juices are secreted into the alimentary canal by various accessory glands to help in the process of digestion. The digestive glands include:

• Liver
• Gallbladder
• Pancreas
• Salivary glands
• Gastric glands
• Intestinal glands

Figure 1 - The long alimentary canal allows food to be digested completely for full nutrients absorption.