1. Pick your favorite part of the digestive system
and tell us what you learned about it in Chapter 5 that was new
to you and why you thought that this information was special and
intriguing. Then tell us one thing about that part that you'd like
to understand better or know more about. If the chapter doesn't tell
you more than you knew about your favorite part, chose your second
favorite GI component to write about. (GI is an abbreviation for
gastrointestinal--stomach/intestine.)
2. What is the most confusing thing you read, and
if you can, point out what you found particularly confusing.
3. How would you explain to a "non-science" friend
what chemicals are secreted by cells in the stomach and what their
roles are in digestion. (What we mean by "explain to a non-science
person" is, don't use technical jorgon that a friend wouldn't
understand, or if you use it, explain it.) As always, if there
is anything you don't understand or wish you could learn more about,
write about that.
4. Choose any disorder of the
gastrointestinal tract that you'd like to know more about and explain,
based on what you've read in this chapter, what you've learned
about how that part of the digestive system works normally and
what happens during the diseased or damaged state that might cause
the disorder.
5. We hear a lot about the liver,
but few people really understand what it does. Write a page telling
a friend (who isn't a scientist) some of the most interesting things
you've learned about the functions of the liver and give an example
of one thing that can happen if one of these functions fails.
If you already picked
the liver as your favorite part of the digestive system, tell a
more biologically sophisticated friend even more about it. Go into
more depth about how the liver works to carry out a particular
function. Maybe use drawings or diagrams to help your explanations.
6. A 79 year old man reports to
his doctor that he has lost 20 pounds over the past year. His appetite
is ok and he feels fine, but he has had a lot of diarrhea. The
doctor wants to examine his pancreas. The pateint wants to know
why. The doctor asks you to explain it to him. Give it a try. You
don't have to know the actual diagnosis, although you can speculate
about this if you wish. The main point is to explain to him how
a problem with the pancreas might lead to weight loss.