17. The Spleen.—Close to the pancreas, at the left side of the body, is a dark, roundish organ about the size of the fist, called the spleen. It is not known that the spleen has much to do in the work of digestion, but it is so closely connected with the digestive organs that we need to know about it.
18. Please note that there are five important organs of digestion. The mouth, the stomach, the intestines, the pancreas, and the liver.
19. Also observe that there are five digestive fluids, saliva, gastric juice, bile, pancreatic juice, and intestinal juice.
SUMMARY.
1. The process of dissolving and changing the food so that it may be absorbed and may nourish the body is digestion.
2. The work of digestion is chiefly done in the digestive tube or canal, which is about thirty feet in length.
3. The mouth contains the teeth, and has three pairs of salivary glands connected with it, which make saliva.
4. The gullet leads from the mouth to the stomach.
5. The stomach is pear-shaped, and holds about three pints.
6. It has an upper and a lower opening, each of which is guarded by a muscle, which keeps its contents from escaping.