Human Stomach - The Basics
The stomach is an organ located in the alimentary canal. Its
job is often confused with that of the intestine. Our stomach is
not responsible for absorbing nutrients from digested food like
the intestine is. Its primary function is to quite simply digest
whatever it is that we decide to eat.
Located between the esophagus and the first part of the small
intestine, the stomach is a highly acidic environment
containing many digestive enzymes. The interior of the stomach
is able to secrete about 2 to 3 litres of gastric fluid every
day. It is a large organ that is multichambered, and hosts
bacteria which produce the necessary enzymes for the digestion
of cellulose from plant matter. The stomach will regurgitate and
rechew plant matter at least once during the digestion process
of sequentially passing food through the stomach's chambers.
Stomach's are divided into five sections, each of which having
different functions and cells. Gastric juice in the stomach
keeps a pH level anywhere between 1 and 3. The pH scale is a way
of determining how acidic a substance is. The larger the pH
level, the less acidic a substance is. Sometimes the highly
acidic gastric juice eats away at the stomach wall or its layer
of mucus, causing what is called an "ulcer".
Common diseases that occur in the stomach are a Curling ulcer,
Cushing ulcer, Stomach cancer, Gastritis, Linitis plastica,
Peptic ulcer, Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, Cardia, Gastric acid,
Gastric distention, Monogastric, Nasogastric tube, Peptic ulcer,
Stomach ache, Stomach cancer, and Borborygmi. "Gastric-" or
"Gastro-" are latin names for the stomach, which are commonly
used in any medical term concerning this organ.