Types of Glands present in the human body are mentioned below:
1. Ordinary Glands – Liver, Spleen, Pancreas.
2. Ductless or Endocrine Glands – Pituitary, Suprarenal, Thyroid.
Types of Glands :
1. Ordinary Glands
Liver:
It is reddish brown organ, weighing about 3 lbs. in an adult. It performs the following functions in the body:— (1) Stores excessive sugar in the form of glycogen (insoluble carbohydrate), which is yellowish green liquid and helps in the digestion of fats. (3) Manufactures urine which is filtered apart from blood in kidneys. (4) It manufactures vitamin A from yellow pigment. (5) It destroys the poisonous substances in the body.
Pancreas:
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Long narrow gland lying in the bend of duodenum. It secretes a clear colourless juice, which has important digestive properties.
It is both an ordinary as well as an endocrine gland. As an ordinary gland, it secretes pancreatic juice which, through pancreatic duct, goes to duodenum to help digestion there.
Image Source: the-scientist.com
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As an Endocrine gland, it secretes insulin which helps utilising sugar in the body, and its deficiency causes ‘diabetes’, a disease in which the patient passes sugar along with urine. The disease is cured by insulin injections invented by Banting.
Spleen:
Bluish red organ situated to the left of the stomach. White blood corpuscles are formed here, and the worn out red blood corpuscles get entangled in the spleen pulp.
2. Ductless or Endocrine Glands
Pituitary Gland:
It is the reddish grey body hanging down the middle of the lower surface of the brain. Its secretion regulates growth and stature of the body, milk secretion in mammals, and influences sex organs.
Suprarenal Glands:
They are small, yellowish glands just above the kidneys one on each side. Their secretion is rich in vitamin C. It influences sense organs, and calls for the resources of the body in an emergency.
Thyroid:
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Brownish red body situated in front of the neck. Its abnormal increase in size is known as goitre. Its secretion, known as thyroxine, is rich in iodine.