The small bowels are 72 feet in length, about one inch in diameter,
and are made up of three coats, same as the stomach. The serous coat
on the outside contains small glands which secrete an oily material
to lubricate the outside of the bowels, which comes in contact with
the inner wall of the abdominal cavity. The muscular coat, made up of
muscular fibers, is situated between the other two coats, the same
as in the stomach; its action is to contract the bowels, giving them
motion to convey the food along through them. The mucous coat is a
continuation of the mucous coat of the stomach. Along this coat are
found small glands known as villi lacteal; these absorb the nourishment
from the food as it passes along through the bowels and pours it into
the blood. The small intestines or bowels are attached on the upper
side to what is known as the mesentery, which is attached above to the
roof of the abdominal cavity. It can be seen in any of the smaller
animals upon examination. About six inches from the stomach, in the
bowels, are found two openings. One of these receive the hepatic duct,
a tube for the purpose of carrying the bile from the liver to be poured
in on the food as it passes through the bowels. The other opening is
for the duct of the gland known as the pancreas. It secretes a clear
fluid known as the pancreatic juice. These juices act on the food
in the first part of the small intestines, changing it into chyle.
After this, the action of the rest of the intestines is to absorb the
nourishment out of the food as it is passing back. The small intestines
and stomach, when in a healthy condition, should be found empty one
hour after food has been eaten. The small bowels or intestines are
situated mostly on the left side just behind the stomach.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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