Question

Which of the following portions of the intestine is blind sac?
A. Caecum
B. Anus
C. Colon
D. None of the above

Answer 1

The digestive system in humans consists of the accessory organs of digestion and the gastrointestinal tract. The accessory organs of digestion are tongue, salivary glands, pancreas, liver and the gallbladder. The gastrointestinal part consists of the stomach, the small intestine and the large intestine.

**Complete answer :**
The small and the large intestine are the sites of assimilation and absorption of the food. The caecum is a pouch like structure that lies between the small and the large intestine. The caecum is a pouch present within the peritoneum cavity. It is situated at the right side of the body. It is present on the same side as that of the appendix as the caecum is connected with the appendix. The caecum is considered as the beginning of the large intestine as it lies at the start of the large intestine.
The caecum receives the chyme from the ileum and it further connects to the ascending colon of the large intestine. It is differentiated or separated from the ileum by a valve like structure known as the ileocecal valve. The ileocecal valve is also known as the Bauhin’s valve. The caecum is also separated from the colon by the cecocolic junction. The caecum is generally intraperitoneal but the ascending part of the colon is retroperitoneal in nature.
In herbivorous animals, the caecum stores the food material and the bacteria helps to break down the cellulose contained in the food. The caecum host a large number of bacteria which help in the digestion of the plant materials like cellulose. However, this function does not occur in human caecum as cellulose cannot be digested. Due to absence of this function of caecum, the caecum in humans is reduced simply to a dead-end pouch that is present as a part of the large intestine.
The passage of the digested food takes place into the colon until it is removed from the body by defecation. The colon serves as the site where fermentation of the digestible matter by the gut bacteria is done. The waste faecal matter is the expelled out of the body by the anus opening.
Hence, the option A is the correct and appropriate option.

Note: The colon is the connection between the small and large intestine and is associated with digestion of cellulose in herbivores. But in humans, the caecum is reduced to a pouch like blind sac structure.