|
[ Home Page | Message Boards | News | Archive | Ask Cecil | Books | Buy Stuff | FAQs, etc. ]
A Straight Dope Classic from Cecil's storehouse of human knowledge
27-Feb-1987
Dear Cecil:
The other day, a friend of mine asked me a question which left me speechless. I could not
begin to come up with an answer. You are my only hope. Why is [fecal matter] brown? --Dave
A., Lemont, Illinois
Cecil replies:
I am not answering this question, friends and neighbors, out of any low motives. I merely
wish to demonstrate that there is an answer for everything, if we but apply ourselves to
the problem.
The thing that makes (ahem) fecal matter brown is a potent brownish-yellow pigment called
bilirubin, which is found in the bile. It's what is left over when red blood cells die off
and decompose, as they normally do throughout your life.
Bilirubin is taken out of the blood by the liver. There it's concentrated and shunted
around some until it winds up in the intestines and gets excreted.
Isn't that interesting? Wouldn't it be a great way to liven up dinner at Mom's next week?
You want to be a more fascinating conversationalist, you just keep reading the Straight
Dope.
--CECIL ADAMS
The Straight Dope / Questions or
comments for Cecil Adams to: cecil@chicagoreader.com
Comments regarding this website to: webmaster@straightdope.com
Copyright © 1996-2005 Chicago Reader, Inc. All rights reserved.
No material contained in this site may be republished or reposted without express written
permission.
The Straight Dope is a registered trademark of Chicago Reader, Inc.