The large, spongy organs of breathing are called lungs. They keep body tissue supplied with nourishment by absorbing oxygen as we inhale. The oxygen seeps through the thin walls of the lungs and is absorbed by the blood stream, which carries it to all parts of the body. At the same time, the lungs remove waste material (carbon dioxide) from the blood and expel it as we exhale.

Our Liver and Small Intestine

The liver has many vital duties. It manufactures bile which aids digestion. Bile is stored in the gall bladder. The liver cleans the blood of waste matter and poisons and takes sugar and exchanges it into glycogen, a starch. It stores excess sugar until needed by the blood and prevents too much blood from flooding the heart. The liver also forms urea which is carried by the blood to the kidneys. Urea is the main element of urine.

Our Stomach and Colon

When food enters the stomach fromvthe esophagus, gastric juices begin to flow and the muscles of the stomach wall begin rhythmic contractions. This is the start of the process of digestion, which goes on for two to five hours. The partially digested food passes, by degrees, to the small intestine where digestion continues. Food values are extracted and distributed by the blood stream to all parts of the body. The residue is now received by the large intestine, where valuable fluids are re-absorbed and waste matter is passed out of the body.

Our Heart

The heart is the organ which pumps blood throughtout the body. It is divided into four chambers. Blood enters the heart through the two main veins, the superior and inferior vena cavae, into the right auricle, from there into the right ventricle which pumps it out and into the lungs through the pulmonary artery. Flowing through the lungs, the blood gathers fresh oxygen and returns through the pulmonary veins and enters the left auricle, hence tot he left ventricle, which ejects it under pressure into the main artery, the aorta. From there the blood starts its journey to every part of the body and returns to the right auricle to begin the cycle once more. Each cycle usually requires approximately one minute. Four valves cotnrol the flow of blood through the chambers: the tricuspid, pulmonary, mitral and aortic.

Our Kidneys

The kidneys perform the important task of keeping the mineral content of the body in balance and maintaining the proper proportion of water in the blood. They clean waste from the blood and dispose of urea. If necessary, one kidney can easily perform the functions of both.

Our Brain

The brain is the organ of intelligent - the seat of consciousness and volition - the center of the nervous system - a complex mass of organized protoplasm. It weighs approximately 3 pounds and is divided into three main sections: The cerebrum is the largest part fo the brain, which by itself, is divided into 2 havles, called hemispheres, byt eh longitudinal fissure. The cerebrum has many folds, called convolutions. It controls speech, memory, intelligence and skilled movements. The cerebellum controls coordination and balance. The medulla controls respiration, heartbeat and temperature.