Editing Cecum (section)

===Etymology===
The term ''cecum'' comes from Latin ''(intestinum) caecum'', literally 'blind intestine', in the sense 'blind gut' or '[[cul de sac]]'.<ref>{{Cite web |title=caecum {{!}} Etymology, origin and meaning of caecum by etymonline |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/caecum |access-date=2022-05-27 |website=www.etymonline.com |language=en}}</ref> It is a direct translation from Ancient Greek {{lang|grc|τυφλὸν}} ({{lang|grc|ἔντερον}}) {{transliteration|grc|typhlòn}} ({{transliteration|grc|énteron}}). Thus the inflammation of the cecum is called typhlitis.

In [[dissection]]s by the [[Ancient Greece|Greek]] [[Greek philosophy|philosophers]], the connection between the [[ileum]] of the [[small intestine]] and the cecum was not fully understood. Most of the studies of the [[Gastrointestinal tract|digestive tract]] were done on animals and the results were compared to human [[human anatomy|structures]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ileum |url=https://www.kenhub.com/en/library/anatomy/the-ileum |access-date=2022-06-18 |website=Kenhub |language=en}}</ref>

The junction between the small intestine and the colon, called the [[ileocecal valve]], is so small in some animals that it was not considered to be a connection between the small and large intestines. During a dissection, the colon could be traced from the [[rectum]], to the [[sigmoid colon]], through the [[descending colon|descending]], [[transverse colon|transverse]], and [[ascending colon|ascending]] sections. The cecum is an end point for the colon with a dead-end portion terminating with the [[appendix (anatomy)|appendix]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Taylor|first1=Tim|title=Anatomy and Physiology Instructor|url=http://www.innerbody.com/image/dige08.html|website=InnerBody.com|publisher=Howtomedia, Inc.|access-date=28 November 2014}}</ref>

The connection between the end of the small intestine (ileum) and the start (as viewed from the perspective of food being processed) of the colon (cecum) is now clearly understood, and is called the ileocecal orifice. The connection between the end of the cecum and the beginning of the ascending colon is called the cecocolic orifice.