Human

Excretory
System

Definition of Excretion
- Excretion is the removal of the metabolic
wastes of an organism. Wastes that are removed include
carbon dioxide, water, salt, urea and uric acid. All
excreted wastes travel at some time in the blood.
The excretory system is a passive biological system that
removes excess, unnecessary or dangerous materials from
an organism, so as to help maintain homeostasis within
the organism and prevent damage to the body. It is
responsible for the elimination of the waste products of
metabolism as well as other liquid and gaseous wastes.
Excretion

Definition of Excretion
systems are special structures in
organisms through which waste products of
METABOLISM are rid and the proper balance of
water and salts in the blood and other body
fluids is maintained at the same time.
Defecation is the elimination of undigested
material from the body and is a function of the
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM.

Excretory

Organs of the Excretory System

- removal of excess carbon dioxide

Liver - produces urea and uric acid as a byproduct of the breakdown of proteins
Skin - removal of excess water, salt, urea and
uric acid
Urinary System - kidneys filter the blood to
form urine, which is excess water, salt, urea and
uric acid
Lungs

Organs of the Excretory System

THE SKIN
Two

Layers of the Skin

Epidermis - outer protective layer without blood

vessels
Dermis - inner layer containing blood vessels, sensory
nerve endings, sweat and oil glands, hairs, and fat
cells

Functions of the Skin

Excretion - Wastes such as excess water, salt, urea and
uric acid are removed from the body in sweat.
Waterproofing - The skin with its oil glands prevents
the entry of water into, and loss of water out of the
body.
Protection from Disease - The intact skin prevents
invasion of micro-organisms and dust into the body.
Protection from Ultraviolet Rays - Pigments reduce
the intake of UV rays.

Functions of the Skin

Regulation of Body Temperature - The thin layer of

fat cells in the dermis insulates the body. Contraction
of small muscles attached to hairs forms 'goosebumps'
and creates an insulating blanket of warm air. Also,
sweat produced by sweat glands uses excess body
heat to evaporate, providing a cooling effect.
Sensory Detection - The nerve endings or receptors
in the dermis detect heat, cold, touch, pressure and
pain.

Functions of the Skin

Protection from Ultraviolet Rays - Pigments reduce

the intake of UV rays.
Regulation of Body Temperature - The thin layer of
fat cells in the dermis insulates the body. Contraction
of small muscles attached to hairs forms 'goosebumps'
and creates an insulating blanket of warm air. Also,
sweat produced by sweat glands uses excess body heat
to evaporate, providing a cooling effect.
Sensory Detection - The nerve endings or receptors in
the dermis detect heat, cold, touch, pressure and pain.

THE URINARY SYSTEM

Urine
The

first nitrogenous waste to be formed from

the breakdown of protein is ammonia, a highly
toxic chemical that is quickly converted by the
liver to urea and uric acid. These are less toxic
than ammonia and are transported in the blood
to the kidneys for excretion in urine. Urine
consists of excess water, excess salt, urea and
uric acid.

Parts of the Urinary System

Arteries - 2 renal arteries constantly
transport blood to the kidneys.
Kidneys - 2 kidneys composed of millions of
nephrons constantly filter about 170 to 200 litres
of blood to produce about 1.5 to 2 litres of urine
daily.
Renal Veins - 2 renal veins return useful
nutrients back into the bloodstream.
Renal

Parts of the Urinary System

- 2 ureters carry urine from the kidneys to
the urinary bladder.
Urinary Bladder - The urinary bladder
temporarily stores urine until it is released from
the body.
Urethra - The urethra is the tube that carries urine
from the urinary bladder to the outside of the
body. The outer end of the urethra is controlled by
a circular muscle called a sphincter.
Ureters

Parts of the Urinary System

Kidneys

The primary organs in the excretory system of

vertebrates. (See protonephridia system for
Platyhelminthes, metanephridia for Annelida, or the
Malpighian tubes for insects and terrestrial arthropods.)
The kidneys are placed on either side of the spinal
column near the lower back. They are primarily
responsible for filtering blood by removing nitrogenous
wastes from metabolism, salts & other excess minerals
and excess water.

Parts of the Urinary System

Ureter

In human anatomy, the ureters are muscular

ducts that propel urine from the kidneys to the
urinary bladder. In the adult, the ureters are
usually 2530 cm (1012 in) long.

Parts of the Urinary System

In

humans, the ureters arise from the renal pelvis on the

medial aspect of each kidney before descending towards the
bladder on the front of the psoas major muscle. The ureters
cross the pelvic brim near the bifurcation of the iliac arteries
(which they run over). This "pelviureteric junction" is a
common site for the impaction of kidney stones (the other
being the uteterovesical valve). The ureters run
posteroinferiorly on the lateral walls of the pelvis. They then
curve anteriormedially to enter the bladder through the
back, at the vesicoureteric junction, running within the wall
of the bladder for a few centimeters.

Parts of the Urinary System

Urinary

Bladder
In anatomy, your bladder produces 11.9 litters
of fluid a day. The urinary bladder is the organ
that collects urine excreted by the kidneys prior
to disposal by urination. A hollow muscular,
and distensible (or elastic) organ, the bladder
sits on the pelvic floor. Urine enters the bladder
via the ureters and exits via the urethra.

Parts of the Urinary System

Embryologically,

the bladder is derived from the

urogenital sinus and, it is initially continuous with the
allantois. In males, the base of the bladder lies between
the rectum and the pubic symphysis. It is superior to the
prostate, and separated from the rectum by the
rectovesical excavation. In females, the bladder sits
inferior to the uterus and anterior to the vagina. It is
separated from the uterus by the vesicouterine excavation
. In infants and young children, the urinary bladder is in
the abdomen even when empty.

Parts of the Urinary System

Urethra

In anatomy, the urethra (from Greek ourethra) is a tube which connects the urinary bladder
to the outside of the body. The urethra has an
excretory function in both sexes to pass urine to the
outside, and also a reproductive function in the male,
as a passage for semen during sexual activity.
The external urethral sphincter is a striated muscle
that allows voluntary control over urine

Diseases and dysfunctions related to each system.

Disease

can affect any of the parts of the closely

related urinary and genital systems. Both can be
infected or malfunction because of a
shortcoming in development.

Kidney Inflammations
is a serious inflammatory disease of the
kidneys. It usually is triggered by a prior infection, often by
streptococcal bacteria, which inflames the glomeruli, the tiny
tufts through which blood is filtered. The inflammation may
go away after a few weeks or may slowly destroy all the
glomeruli. In the early stages, the inflammation may reduce
filtration enough to cause blood to retain some excess fluid,
salts, and wastes. Blood pressure might also rise. If the
inflammation persists, the glomeruli are destroyed, blood
pressure soars, and urine formation may stop. Mechanical
means must be taken to cleanse the blood.

Glomerulonephritis

Kidney Inflammations
is a bacterial infection of the
inner portions of the kidneys and the urine. If
quickly treated, the infection can be cured. If
untreated, however, the infection may scar and
eventually destroy kidney tubules, resulting in a
need for mechanical cleansing of the blood.
Once damaged by a bout of pyelonephritis, the
kidneys are easily reinfected.

Pyelonephritis

Kidney Inflammations
of pregnancy is a disorder stemming from other
kidney problems experienced by some women in the last
half of pregnancy. During a pregnancy, the kidneys must
work more than usual. However, a woman entering
pregnancy with a kidney disease such as glomerulonephritis
may not be able to step up kidney function enough to meet
the new demands. In severe cases of toxemia, the fetus may
die or have to be aborted to save the mother's life. In lesser
cases, however, medical treatment poses little risk to either
life. Once a woman develops toxemia, she is likely to develop
it again in later pregnancies.

Toxemia

Calculi and Other Urinary Disorders

Calculi

and Other Urinary Disorders

Calculus disease occurs when certain substances in urine
crystallize into compact stones called calculi. A stone
may be formed within a kidney and become swept by
urine into the ureters and the bladder. It may cause pain,
obstruct urine flow, or grow large enough to damage the
kidney or bladder. Small calculi may be passed in urine,
and large ones can be pulverized without surgery by
means of energetic sound waves. Calculi can consist of
calcium, urates, cystine, or other crystals. The tendency
to form kidney stones sometimes runs in families.

Calculi and Other Urinary

Disorders
disease, an inherited failure of
normal kidney development, strikes infants as
well as adults. Many fluid-filled cysts spring up
throughout the kidneys and cause them to
malfunction. Polycystic disease sufferers
eventually become uremic.

Polycystic

Calculi and Other Urinary

Disorders
means "urine in blood." It describes the condition
in which the kidneys almost totally fail to operate. The
blood then retains the nitrogenous products of protein
metabolism instead of having them removed by the
kidneys. Also, the concentration of many of the
electrolytes, or salts, in the blood rises too high. The breath
or perspiration of affected persons smells of urine. Each of
the previously mentioned kidney ailments could cause
uremia. Artificial kidneys have been developed to cleanse
the blood of uremic patients. In some cases, patients with
destroyed kidneys can receive a human kidney transplant.

Uremia