A human body mainly consists of 78 organs, which are collectively called the organ system. These functions help us perform our daily routine tasks and, most importantly, keep us alive and make us who we are. In simple words, an organ is a group of tissues that perform a specific function in the human body. They help our body in performing tasks, such as pumping blood or eliminating toxins.
The organs are composed of millions of tissues and billions of cells that coordinate to carry out a particular function. The organs of the human body are classified based on weight and length. They can be easily seen and are involved in many different processes. Examples of these organs are skin, brain, heart, liver, etc.
The Largest Organ in the Human Body
The Skin
The skin is the largest external organ of our body. It is an essential organ with a fleshy surface covered with hair, nerves, and glands. It protects your whole body and acts as a barrier between the inner and outside environment. The human skin is about two millimeters in thickness, and it weighs around 10895.10 grams, making up about 16 percent of the overall body mass. Overall, it takes an area of 20 square feet on our body surface.
Functions of Skin
Protection
The skin defends the body from environmental factors like ultraviolet radiation of the sun, pollution, germs, allergens, and more. Its primary function is to act as a barrier between the inner and outer environment.
When the human body’s skin gets exposed to sunlight, it produces melanin, a natural skin pigment on which the hair, skin, and eye color depend. This melanin then absorbs UV rays and prevents it from damaging the DNA cells, making them brown.
Maintaining Body Temperature
The skin helps in maintaining body temperature. The body can only survive environmental changes ranging from -52ᵒC to +42ᵒC, according to Hinchliff. The skin needs to maintain a constant core body temperature as it is an essential regulation for the normal functioning of the cellular enzymes throughout the body.
Sensory Information
The skin is an organ of sensation. It contains a comprehensive network of nerve cells that help detect and pass on the environment’s changes. There are different receptors for heat, cold, touch, and pain in our skin.
Damage to one of these cells is known as neuropathy, resulting in a loss of sensation in the affected area. Patients with neuropathy don’t feel any pain when they get injured, resulting in an increased wounding or worsening of the wound.
Absorption
Although the skin is water-resistant, it is also a tremendous absorbent medium for some medicines, including hormones, glyceryltrinitrate used to treat angina.
Excretion
It helps in the excretion of excess water, salts, and other wastes in the form of sweat through sweat pores. The skin excretes a minimal amount of carbon dioxide, unlike water and sweat, which excrete several waste products, including sodium chloride and urea.
The Largest Internal Organ
The Liver
The liver is the largest internal organ of the human body. It is involved in 500 different functions. In the human body, the liver is in the abdomen’s upper right area below the rib cage and the lungs. It is a solid organ that weighs 3-3.5 pounds or 1493.79 grams.
Functions of the Liver
- Production Of Bile
The liver helps produce bile that carries away waste and breaks down the small intestine fats for digestion. Bile mostly contains cholesterol, bile acids, and bilirubin. It also contains water, body salts like potassium and sodium, copper, and other metals.
- Absorption and Metabolizationof Bilirubin
The hemoglobin breaks down and forms bilirubin. The iron that releases from the hemoglobin is stored in the liver or bone marrow and is used to make the next generation of blood cells.
- Supporting Blood Clots
Vitamin K is essential for the creation of certain coagulants that help the blood to clot. Bile is also necessary for absorbing Vitamin K that is created in the liver. If the liver does not produce the right amount of bile required, the human body will have blood clotting issues.
- Helps in Metabolizing Carbohydrates
The liver helps metabolize carbohydrates stored in the liver, broken down into glucose, and drained into the bloodstream to maintain normal glucose levels. They are stored as glycogen and are released whenever a quick burst of energy is needed.
Skin – The Largest Organ
We have learned the functions of both the organs and their importance in the body. Overall, the skin is the largest organ externally. Whereas the liver is the largest organ that helps produce bile and more blood cells for our system. Moreover, it regulates the metabolization of carbohydrates in our body.