The rectum, which is a continuation of the sigmoid colon, begins in front of the midsacrum (the sacrum is the triangular bone near the base of the spine and between the two hipbones). It ends in a dilated portion called the rectal ampulla, which in front is in contact with the rear surface of the prostate in the male and with the posterior vaginal wall in the female. Posteriorly, the rectal ampulla is in front of the tip of the coccyx (the small bone at the very base of the spine).

At the end of the pelvic colon, the mesocolon, the fold of peritoneum that attaches the colon to the rear wall of the abdomen and pelvis, ceases, and the rectum is then covered by peritoneum only at its sides and in front; lower down, the rectum gradually loses the covering on its sides until only the front is covered. About 7.5 cm (3 inches) from the anus, the anterior peritoneal covering is also folded back onto the bladder and the prostate or the vagina.

Near the termination of the sigmoid colon and the beginning of the rectum, the colonic taeniae spread out to form a wide external longitudinal muscle coat. At the lower end of the rectum, muscle fibres of the longitudinal and circular coats tend to intermix. The internal circular muscle coat terminates in the thick rounded internal anal sphincter muscle. The smooth muscle fibres of the external longitudinal muscle coat of the rectum terminate by interweaving with striated muscle fibres of the levator ani, or pelvic diaphragm, a broad muscle that forms the floor of the pelvis. A second sphincter, the external anal sphincter, is composed of striated muscle and is divided into three parts known as the subcutaneous, superficial, and deep external sphincters. Thus, the internal sphincter is composed of smooth muscle and is innervated by the autonomic nervous system, while the external sphincters are of striated muscle and have somatic (voluntary) innervation provided by nerves called the pudendal nerves.

The mucosal lining of the rectum is similar to that of the sigmoid colon but becomes thicker and better supplied with blood vessels, particularly in the lower rectum. Arterial blood is supplied to the rectum and anus by branches from the inferior mesenteric artery and the right and left internal iliac arteries. Venous drainage from the anal canal and rectum is provided by a rich network of veins called the internal and external hemorrhoidal veins.

Two to three large crescentlike folds known as rectal valves are located in the rectal ampulla. These valves are caused by an invagination, or infolding, of the circular muscle and submucosa. The columnar epithelium of the rectal mucosa, innervated by the autonomic nervous system, changes to the stratified squamous (scalelike) type, innervated by the peripheral nerves, in the lower rectum a few centimetres above the pectinate line, which is the junction between the squamous mucous membrane of the lower rectum and the skin lining the lower portion of the anal canal.

Once or twice in 24 hours, a mass peristaltic movement shifts the accumulated feces onward from the descending and sigmoid sectors of the colon. The rectum is normally empty, but when it is filled with gas, liquids, or solids to the extent that the intraluminal pressure is raised to a certain level, the impulse to defecate occurs.

The musculus puborectalis forms a sling around the junction of the rectum with the anal canal and is maintained in a constant state of tension. This results in an angulation of the lower rectum so that the lumen of the rectum and the lumen of the anal canal are not in continuity, a feature essential to continence. Continuity is restored between the lumina of the two sectors when the sling of muscle relaxes, and the longitudinal muscles of the distal and pelvic colon contract. The resulting shortening of the distal colon tends to elevate the pelvic colon and obliterates the angle that it normally makes with the rectum. The straightening and shortening of the passage facilitates evacuation.

The act of defecation is preceded by a voluntary effort, which, in turn, probably gives rise to stimuli that magnify the visceral reflexes, although these originate primarily in the distension of the rectum. Centres that control defecation reflexes are found in the hypothalamus of the brain, in two regions of the spinal cord, and in the ganglionic plexus of the intestine. As the result of these reflexes, the internal anal sphincter relaxes.

Liver

The liver is not only the largest gland in the body but also the most complex in function. The major functions of the liver are to participate in the metabolism of protein, carbohydrates, and fat; to synthesize cholesterol and bile acids; to initiate the formation of bile; to engage in the transport of bilirubin; to metabolize and transport certain drugs; and to control transport and storage of carbohydrates.