114 OUR BODIES AMD HOW WE LIVE 



161. The Small Intestine. The intestines consist of a 

 long tube which fills the greater part of the abdomen. They 

 are divided into the small intestine, about twenty-five feet 

 long, and the large intestine, about five feet in length. 



The first portion of the small intestine, 1 which is directly 

 continued from the stomach, is called the duodenum, because 

 it is about twelve fingers' breadth long, that is, about 

 eight inches. 



Let us now see what takes place in the duodenum. Two 

 tubes, or ducts, unite and enter it. One comes from the 

 liver and the gall bladder, and brings the bile; the other 

 from the pancreas, and brings the pancreatic juice. These 

 two tubes unite, and enter the duodenum at the same 

 place. 



162. The Liver and the Work it jdoes. The liver is a large 

 reddish-brown organ situated just under the diaphragm, and 

 on the right side. It is the largest gland in the body, and 

 weighs about three and one-half pounds. The liver secretes 

 in the course of a day about two pints of an important fluid 

 called the bile. Some of it is stored up in a kind of little 

 pear-shaped bag attached to the liver itself, and called the 

 gall bladder. 



The liver also makes a material which resembles starch, 

 called glycogen, or/ liver sugar. This is stored in the liver 

 when food is plentiful, and is used up during starvation or 

 during muscular work. 



163. The Bile and how it helps in Digestion. The bile 

 is a greenish-yellow, bitter fluid, but, when acted upon by 

 the gastric juice, it takes on a distinctly yellow or greenish 

 hue ; hence the appearance of vomited bile. 



1 The small intestine includes three parts, duodenum, jejunum, and 

 ileum. The large intestine includes the caecum, colon, and rectum (Fig. 73). 



