Misplaced Pages

Feces

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Mojo Hand (talk | contribs) at 19:58, 13 June 2007 (Revert to revision 137972771 dated 2007-06-13 19:56:22 by Kubigula using popups). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Revision as of 19:58, 13 June 2007 by Mojo Hand (talk | contribs) (Revert to revision 137972771 dated 2007-06-13 19:56:22 by Kubigula using popups)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Page semi-protectedEditing of this article by new or unregistered users is currently disabled.
See the protection policy and protection log for more details. If you cannot edit this article and you wish to make a change, you can submit an edit request, discuss changes on the talk page, request unprotection, log in, or create an account.
Horse feces

Feces, faeces, or fæces (see spelling differences) is a waste product from an animal's digestive tract expelled through the anus (or cloaca) during defecation.

The word faeces is the plural of the Latin word fæx meaning "dregs". There is no singular form in the English language .

Human feces

Main article: Human feces

In humans, defecation may occur (depending on the individual and the circumstances) from once every two or three days to several times a day. Hardening of the feces may cause prolonged interruption in the routine and is called constipation.

Human fecal matter varies significantly in appearance, depending on diet and health. Normally it is semisolid, with a mucus coating. Its brown coloration comes from a combination of bile and bilirubin, which comes from dead red blood cells.

In newborn babies, fecal matter is initially yellow/green after the meconium. This coloration comes from the presence of bile alone. In time, as the body starts expelling bilirubin from dead red blood cells, it acquires its familiar brown appearance, unless the baby is breast feeding, in which case it remains soft, pale yellowish, and not-unpleasantly scented until the baby begins to eat significant amounts of other food.

Throughout the life of an ordinary human, one may experience many types of feces. A "green" stool is from rapid transit of feces through the intestines (or the consumption of certain blue or green food dyes in quantity), and "clay-like" appearance to the feces is the result of a lack of bilirubin.

Bile overload is very rare, and not a health threat. Problems as simple as serious diarrhea can cause blood in one's stool, turning it black. Black stools caused by blood usually indicate a problem in the intestines (the black blood is digested), whereas red streaks of blood in stool are usually caused by bleeding in the rectum or anus.

Food may sometimes make an appearance in the feces. Common undigested foods found in human feces are seeds, nuts, corn and beans, mainly because of their high fiber content.

Bristol Stool Scale

Consistency and shape of stools may be classified medically according to the Bristol Stool Scale.

Pica, a disorder where non-food items are eaten, can cause unusual stool. Intestinal parasites and their ova (eggs) can sometimes be visible to the naked eye.

Odor

The distinctive odor of feces is due to bacterial action. Gut flora produce compounds such as indole, skatole, and thiols (sulfur containing compounds), as well as the inorganic gas hydrogen sulfide. These are the same compounds that are responsible for the odor of flatulence. Consumption of foods with spices may result in the spices being undigested and adding to the odor of feces. Certain commercial products exist that can reduce the odor of feces. The bad odor of feces has been hypothesized to be a deterrent for humans, as consumption or touching it may result in sickness or infection. eating beans or other mass-gas producings foods can increase the smell of it.

Personal hygiene

For personal hygiene, several companies market toilet tissue or wipes for babies and campers.

Pets

Several companies market carpet cleaning products aimed at pet owners. However pet feces can be cleaned with just dishwashing detergent or liquid soap.

Uses of feces

The feces of animals is often used as fertilizer; see manure. Some animal feces, especially those of the bison and cow, are used as fuel when dried out.

See also

Bibliography

  • Fecal Matters in Early Modern Literature and Art: Studies in Scatology. J Persels, R Ganim - 2004

External links

Categories: