Care of the Skin

There is need to properly take care of the skin. If the sweat and oily substances are not removed from the body on time, dust and bacteria will stick to the surface of the skin. 

Dirty skin promotes bacteria and other pathogenic growth as well as blockage of the sweat pores. Some skin diseases can even develop as well as unpleasant body odour. All these may prevent the skin from performing its normal functions. 

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Functions of the Skin

The important functions of the skin include:

1. Protection: The skin protects the body against entrance by microbes, mechanical injuries, ultra-violet rays of the sunlight and desiccation by acting as waterproof. The pigment, melani absorbs ultra-violet rays from the sun which is harmful to the body.

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The Skin and Its Structure

The skin is the outer covering of vertebrates. It forms a continuous layer over the entire body, making it the largest organ. In mammals, the skin usually bears a dense growth of hairs. Human beings, however, only have a sparse growth of hair over most parts of their bodies.

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Diseases of the Liver, their Effects and Remedies

Certain diseases can impair the functioning of the liver. 

They include:

1. Diabetes mellitus: This disease is caused as a result of the inability of the liver cells to convert excess glucose in the blood to glycogen. This is as a result of the failure of the pancreas to produce a hormone called insulin. Consequently, excess sugar is left in the blood and lost through urine.

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The Liver and Its Functions

The liver is a large reddish-brown organ with two lobes. It lies just below the diaphragm to the right side, partly overlapping the stomach. Its average weight is about 1.25kg. Each lobe of the liver is subdivided into smaller lobes 


[image credit: Bruce]

The gall bladder which stores the bile is connected to the duodenum by a short tube called bile duct. The bile duct is a soft organ with a rich and extensive blood supply.

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Diseases of the Kidneys, their Effects and Remedies

DISEASES OF THE KIDNEYS



1. Diuresis: This is a condition in which the cells of the kidney tubules are not reabsorbing water from the glomerular filtrate, and as a result, a large amount of water is  passed out in urine. Diuresis can also occur from a patient, suffering from diabetes insipidus - a condition in which the production of ADH (Anti-Diuretic Hormone) becomes reduced. Less water is reabsorbed and the patient produces a lot of urine - about 5-20 litres a day.

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Functions of The Kidneys and Conditions Affecting Them

The structure of the kidneys has already been discussed here.

FUNCTIONS OF THE KIDNEYS


[photo credit: Michal]

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Excretory System of Plants

Plants have no special excretory organs because their metabolic waste products are minimal. Plants manufacture their own food, i.e they are autotraphic. The waste materials are disposed off through various parts of the plant. 

[Photo credit: Estreya]

Plant wastes products include water, carbon dioxide oxygen, acids, resins, mucilage, latex, alkaloids, crystals of salts, oils, gum and anthocyanin.

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EXCRETORY SYSTEM OF MAMMALS: Structure and Mechanism of Excretion of the Kidney and Urinary Tubule

EXCRETION IN MAMMALS

[Photo credit: Jordi March i Nogué]

In mammals, there are four excretory organs:

• lungs, which excrete water vapor and carbon dioxide;
• skin, which excretes water, salts and urea through sweat;
• liver, which excretes bile pigments called bilirubin; and
• kidneys, which excrete water, mineral salts, urea, uric acid, and creaunine.

EXCRETORY SYSTEM OF MAMMALS

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Excretory System and Mechanism of Excretion in Earthworm, Flatworm, Insects and Amoeba

EXCRETORY SYSTEM OF EARTHWORM

[Photo credit: KDS444. Earthworm_head.svg from wikipedia commons. License: CC-BY-SA 3.0]

An earthworm has a segmented body. Each segment of the body except the first three and the last segment has a pair of tubes called nephridia. The nephridia are the excretory organs of the earthworm.

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EXCRETION: Definition, Importance, Need for Excretory Systems, Organisms and Their Excretory Organs, Excretory Organs and Their Waste Product

Excretion can be defined as the process by which metabolic waste products are removed from the body of living things. Waste product from metabolic activities are always produced by the bod and their removal are carried out by special excretory systems or organs. 


[Photo credit:  Hämbörger. License: GNU Free Documentation License]

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