Feces

feces

 or excrement or stools

Solid bodily waste discharged from the colon through the anus during defecation. Normal feces are 75% water. The rest is about 30% dead bacteria, 30% indigestible food matter, 10–20% cholesterol and other fats, 10–20% inorganic substances, and 2–3% protein. The colour and odour are produced by bacterial action on chemical constituents. Many disorders produce abnormalities in the feces, usually constipation or diarrhea. Bleeding in the stomach or intestines may show up as dark red to black stools. Tests are needed to detect small amounts (occult blood). High fat content usually indicates disease of the pancreas or small intestine. Many diseases are spread by contamination of food with feces of infected persons.

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feces [′fē·sēz]

(physiology)

The waste material eliminated by the gastrointestinal tract.

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Feces 

excrement, the contents of the lower section of the large intestine, discharged during defecation. In man and the majority of animals, feces are of solid consistency as a result of water absorption in the large intestines. Feces consist of undigested remains of food, mucoid intestinal juice, epithelial cells (which are constantly desquamating from the interior surface of the intestinal tract), and microorganisms of the intestinal flora (mainly Escherichia coli). Testing of feces has diagnostic value: blood and pus (when ulcers or hemorrhoids are present), worms and their ova, and the causative agents of dysentery, typhoid fever, or cholera may be found.