Urinary system - Term Paper Example

The urinary system is composed of many subunits, which may be better understood by studying the gross anatomy of the urinary system, the overall function and metabolic importance of the urinary system, and the complex unit formations and regulatory mechanisms that allow the kidney to function. A system is a group of organs, which correspondingly are made up of distinct tissue types. The six primary organs of the urinary system are the two kidneys, two ureters, the urinary bladder, and the urethra (Saladin, 2007, p.896). The kidneys are symmetrical and these two organs, lying against the back of the abdominal wall in what is known as the dorsal section, are by far the most complex organs of the urinary system (Saladin, 2007, p.897). The kidneys weight about 160 grams in a healthy adult, and are generally about 10 cm long by 5 cm wide by 2.

5 cm thick and roughly ‘C’ shaped, as seen in Figure 1 (Saladin, 2007, p.898). These organs are ultimately responsible for the important job of interacting with the circulatory system to remove harmful wastes from the body and to maintain appropriate water and salt levels in the blood. The kidney itself is protected by three layers of connective tissues called the renal fascia, which holds the kidney against the wall of the abdomen, the adipose capsule, a layer of fat that cushions the kidney and protects it from harm during normal movements of the body, and the renal capsule, the innermost layer that wraps the kidney tightly.

This layer acts much like clear plastic wrap on perishable food items, protecting it from both trauma and infection from bacteria and other organisms that might cause dangerous infection (Saladin, 2007, p.898). The tissue of the kidney itself is called the parenchyma, which surrounds the renal sinus, or the empty area where urine collecting structures, blood, and lymphatic vessels are housed within the kidney. The