Alimentary canal of Man: The alimentary canal of man is a long coiled tube of varying diameter. It measures from 8 to 10 meters in length.
It is divisible into the following parts:
(i) Oral cavity, (ii) Pharynx, (iii) Oesophagus, (iv) Stomach, (v) Small intestine, (vi) Large intestine.
(i) Oral cavity: It is the initial enlarged part of the alimentary canal. It opens by mouth and consists of lips, cheeks, gums, teeth and the palate with its muscles. The salivary glands open in the oral cavity.
(ii) Pharynx: The oral cavity passes into pharynx.
(iii) Oesophagus: It is a muscular tube some 10 inches long through which food passes into the stomach. where it joins the cardiac stomach.
(iv) Stomach: The stomach is a sac-like structure and situated below the diaphragm. The wall of the stomach contains many small gastric pits into which ducts of gastric glands open.
(v) Small intestine: It is a long tube-like structure measuring about 5-7 meters. It is divisible into 3 parts : duodenum, the jejunum and the ileum. The duodenum is the first part and Ushaped. In this pancreatic duct and bile duct opens.
(vi) Large intestine: The large intestine is about 1.5 m long. It consists of caecum with vermiform appendix, colon and rectum. The rectum opens to the exterior by anus.
