What is a fart? An Assplanation.
This site is dedicated to toilet humor and flatulence, but I thought I’d write up a quick bit of facts I found in some recent research. The rest of this site is pure toilet humor, so don’t continue to other pages here if you are easily offended.
The word “fart” has a long history, much to my surprise. I won’t get into the historical facts much, or the proper definition of the word, which I found from this source:
a reflex that expels intestinal gas through the anus
I mean, we all know what a FART is, right? I’d rather, briefly, answer a different question, why do we fart? What I found immediately interesting is what gasses and/or chemicals a farts might be made of: Hydrogen, Methane, Carbon Dioxide, and Sulfur. (probably others too!) Nice, that’s sounds nasty! And it comes out of our bodies!
We all build up gasses in our digestion system, but we also get some of these gases by swallowing air. You might get some air by chewing gum, drinking some fluids, and while you eat. If you don’t burp all of that air, some of it is not used by your body (like oxygen) and it will literally come out the other end.
That’s one source of the gases, but we also build up gases by normal digestion processes. Enzymes, acids, and bacteria break down the foods you eat. When they break down the food, gasses like the methane and hydrogen are released.
So we build up gasses in our body, ready to be expelled from a place the sun don’t shine. The terrible smells come from those gasses and bacteria, and also the sulfur broken down in some foods.
Gross stuff you might say? I agree, but, honestly, just saying this out loud makes me laugh! Hence, this site!
Quick note: Obviously if you are seeking medical facts, please see a medical professional. I am not a doctor and this is not intended to be any sort of medical advice. Just interesting and fun info.
See the Blog entries here, Follow the FART ODYSSEY.
Sources:
http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/1909.html