ABSORPTION. 99 



solved. This is brought about by the action of peculiar 

 liquids made inside the body, and poured into the mouth, 

 stomach, or intestines. The process of getting all the 

 valuable part of the things which we have eaten, into a 

 liquid state, is known as digestion. 



' 3. Absorption. -The second step is to get this nourish- 

 ing liquid into the blood. As it slowly passes along the 

 alimentary tube it is gradually soaked up or absorbed by 

 the walls of the latter, as if they were lined with blotting- 

 paper, and either mixed at once with the blood which 

 flows in them; or, first, with another liquid, the lymph, 

 which is afterwards poured into the blood. The taking 

 up of digested food by the lining of the alimentary 

 canal, is known as absorption. 



4. The Alimentary Canal is about thirty feet in length, 

 much the longest portion of it being contained in the 

 abdomen. At it^lbeginning (Fig. 24) it is tolerably wide 

 and forms the mouth and throat cavities. In the neck and 

 chest, it has the form of a narrow, nearly straight tube, 

 the gullet or oesophagus. The lower end of the gullet 

 passes through the diaphragm and then almost immedi- 

 ately opens into the much wider stomach (Fig. 32). The 

 stomach is followed by the narrow greatly coiled small 

 intestine; and this in turn opens into the large intestine, 

 which is the last portion of the alimentary canal. 



prepare food for nourishing the body ? How brought about ? What 

 is the process called ? 



3. What is the second step in digestion ? How does the nourishing 

 liquid get into the blood ? What is lymph ? What is this process of 

 taking up digested food called ? 



4. How long is the alimentary canal? What easily contains the 

 longest portion of it? What is the gullet? Where does it end? 

 What follows the stomach ? What is the large intestine ? 



