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Anatomy 101

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Digestive_system_showing_bile_duct.gifTonight I played Trivial Pursuit. It's a lot of fun... except for those sports questions.

My team had to indicate which organ produces "liver bile." Suggested answers were the: spleen, gallbladder, and pancreas.

Here's some help from Wikipedia. :)

The pancreas is a retroperitoneal organ located posterior to the stomach on the posterior abdominal wall.

In humans the pancreas is a small elongated organ in the abdomen. It is described as having a head, body and tail. The pancreatic head abuts the second part of the duodenum while the tail extends towards the spleen. The pancreatic duct runs the length of the pancreas and empties into the second part of the duodenum at the ampulla of Vater. The common bile duct commonly joins the pancreatic duct at or near this point.

...

The pancreas produces enzymes that break down all categories of digestible foods

The gallbladder (or cholecyst) is a pear-shaped organ that stores bile (or "gall") until the body needs it for digestion. It is connected to the liver and the duodenum by the biliary tract.

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The gallbladder stores bile, which is released when food containing fat enters the digestive tract, stimulating the secretion of cholecystokinin (CCK).

The spleen is a ductless, vertebrate gland that is not necessary for life but is closely associated with the circulatory system, where it functions in the destruction of old red blood cells and removal of other debris from the bloodstream, and also in holding a reservoir of blood. It is regarded as one of the centres of activity of the reticuloendothelial system. Until recently, the purpose of the spleen was not known. It is increasingly recognised that its absence predisposes to certain infections.

So now you know... in case you were like my team, who had our anatomy all a jumble.

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