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Lab Procedures Packet
An Outlook
The viscera
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Mesenteries
WHERE: The mesenteries wrap around the
visceral organs becoming the visceral
peritoneum.
 WHY: The mesenteries not only support the
internal organs but also function as a support
for the blood vessels, nerves, and various
ducts that lead to the visceral organs.

The viscera
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Liver


WHERE: Biggest organ in the body.
WHY: 500+ functions, including:

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Production of bile, which helps carry away waste and break
down fats
Conversion of excess glucose into glycogen for storage
Conversion of poisonous ammonia to urea (Urea is one of
the end products of protein metabolism that is excreted in the
urine.)
Clearing the blood of drugs and other poisonous substances
The Viscera
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Diaphragm

WHERE & WHY:
The diaphragm is a muscular membrane that
separates the anterior thoracic cavity from the
posterior abdominal cavity.
What does this mean?
The Viscera

Pyloric Sphincter Muscle

WHERE & WHY: The pyloric sphincter muscle
has a dual function.
 It
holds food in the stomach during digestion by
closing off the opening to the small intestine.
 After digestion is completed the pyloric sphincter
muscle contracts rhythmically to push the digested
material (chyme) into the small intestine for further
processing.
The Viscera

Pylorus
WHERE: The part of the stomach that the
pyloric sphincter is found.
 WHY: Hold the pyloric sphincter muscle.

The Viscera

Chyme
WHERE: Located in the small intestine.
 WHY: It is the digested material that is in the
small intestine for further processing.
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The Viscera

Duodenum
WHERE: The anterior portion (about 3 cm) of
the small intestine just behind the pyloric
sphincter muscle.
 WHY: Digestion is completed in the
duodenum. Digestive juices from the liver and
pancreas empty into the duodenum.

The Viscera

Bile Duct
WHERE: The bile duct runs in the mesentery
between the liver and the duodenum.
 WHY: Connects the liver with the duodenum
to exchange fluids.

The Viscera

Spleen
WHERE: Suspended from the left edge of the
stomach is a long flat wide darkly colored
structure that resembles a tongue.
 WHY: This is not a digestive organ, but rather
an organ of the circulatory system. It is
concerned with the production, storage, and
elimination of red blood cells.

The Viscera

Colon
WHERE: This is the tightly coiled mass of
intestine.
 WHY: Excess water is removed from the
undigested wastes.

The Viscera

Rectum
WHERE: Straight section of large intestines.
 WHY: Waste products are stored in the
rectum until they are eliminated from the body.
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