Based on the best selling text: An Introduction to Medical Terminology for Health Care (Fifth edition) by A.R.Hutton published by Elsevier Ltd
The interactive learning material in this unit is arranged into seven sections:
Click on a section and complete the exercises in the sequence they are presented. Note: FlashCards for revision of this unit are at the end of Section 6.
A short list of abbreviations, pathological conditions, clinical procedures and laboratory tests associated with the digestive system is available from theWord Check.
Back to IMT Topic ListThe digestive system consists of a group of organs that interact to
digest and absorb food. We need a digestive system because much of the
food we eat contains nutrients that are too large to be absorbed into the
body. Fats, proteins and carbohydrates need to be broken down to smaller
molecules so they can enter cells that line the intestines.
The alimentary canal begins at the mouth and ends at the anus, it consists
of the:
The following accessory organs produce secretions that aid the digestion of food whilst it is in the alimentary canal:
In this unit we will study medical terms associated with each component.
In this section we study the medical terms associated with the upper part of the digestive system beginning with the esophagus, the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach; first look at Root 1:
| Root 1 | Esophag- | From a Greek word oisophagos meaning gullet or esophagus |
| Combining form | Esophag/o | esophagus |
First we'll use the combining form esophag/o, look at the medical word esophagotomy below and click on the word to see its components:
The suffix -tomy always means an incision into.. and we are going to use it in many other exercises with different combining forms.
Continue to Page 2;