The alimentary tract is a musculomembraneous canal about 8'/2 m (metres) in length. It extends from the oral cavity to the anus. It consists of the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine. The liver with gallbladder and pancreas are the large glands of the alimentary tract.
The first division of the alimentary tract is formed by the mouth. Important structures of the mouth are the teeth and the tongue, which is the organ of taste (вкуса). The soft and hard palates and the salivary glands are also in the oral cavity.
From the mouth food passes through the pharynx to the esophagus and then to the stomach.
The stomach is a dilated portion of the alimentary canal. It is in the upper part of the abdomen under the diaphragm. It measures about 21 -25 cm in length, 8-9 cm in its greatest diameter. It has a capacity of from 2.14 to 4.28 1 (litres).
The small intestine is a thin-walled muscular tube about 6.5 metres long. It is located in the middle portion of the abdominal cavity. The small intestine is composed of the duodenum, jejunum and ileum.
The large intestine is about 1.5 metres long. It is divided into caecum, colon, sigm anorectum.
The liver is the largest gland in the human body. It is in the right upper part of the abdominal cavity under the diaphragm. The weight of the liver is 1,500 g.
The gallbladder is a hollow sac (мешок) lying on the lower surface of the liver.
The pancreas is a long thin gland lying behind the stomach.