Bowman's capsule

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Bowman's Capsule

Bowman's Capsule (pronounced: boh-muhnz kap-suh-l) is a cup-like sac at the beginning of the tubular component of a nephron in the mammalian kidney that performs the first step in the filtration of blood to form urine.

Etymology

The term "Bowman's Capsule" is named after Sir William Bowman (1816–1892), an English surgeon and anatomist. He was the first to identify this structure in the kidney.

Function

The Bowman's Capsule encloses a cluster of tiny blood vessels—glomerulus—from the renal artery. It serves as a filter to remove organic wastes, excess inorganic salts, and water.

Structure

The Bowman's Capsule has two layers: the visceral (inner) layer, which lies adjacent to the glomerulus, and the parietal (outer) layer. The space between these two layers is called the urinary space, where the filtrate accumulates.

Related Terms

  • Nephron: The functional unit of the kidney, consisting of a glomerulus, renal tubule, and collecting tubule, through which the glomerular filtrate passes before it is eliminated as urine.
  • Glomerulus: A network of small blood vessels in the kidney, where waste products are filtered from the blood.
  • Renal Tubule: The part of a nephron through which filtrate from the renal corpuscle flows and is changed into urine by reabsorption and secretion.
  • Renal Corpuscle: The initial blood-filtering component of a nephron in the kidney. It consists of two structures: a glomerulus and a Bowman's capsule.

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