Organ (anatomy)
In biology, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function.
There is a "main" tissue, parenchyma, and "sporadic" tissues, stroma. The main tissue is the one that is unique for the specific organ. For example, the main tissue in the heart is the myocardium, while sporadic tissues include the nerves, blood and connective tissues. Functionally related organs often cooperate to form whole organ systems. Organs exist in all higher biological organisms, in particular they are not restricted to animals, but can also be identified in plants. In single-cell organisms like bacteria, the functional analogues of organs are called organelles.
A hollow organ is a visceral organ that is a hollow tube or pouch, such as the stomach or intestine, or that includes a cavity, like the heart or urinary bladder.
Read more about Organ (anatomy): Etymology, Organ Systems, Plants, Animals
Famous quotes containing the word organ:
“But alas! I never could keep a promise. I do not blame myself for this weakness, because the fault must lie in my physical organization. It is likely that such a very liberal amount of space was given to the organ which enables me to make promises, that the organ which should enable me to keep them was crowded out. But I grieve not. I like no half-way things. I had rather have one faculty nobly developed than two faculties of mere ordinary capacity.”
—Mark Twain [Samuel Langhorne Clemens] (1835–1910)