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Welcome to the DID YOU KNOW!! section of this web page.The purpose of this area of the site is to better inform the general public about some of the more interesting functions and actions of human anatomy.
DID YOU KNOW!!
A living bone consists of three layers: the periosteum, or outside skin of the bone; the hard compact bone; and the bone marrow. If we were to cut a living bone in half, we would see that it contains various layers. First is a layer of thin, whitish skin which is packed with nerves and blood vessels and supplies the cells of which the hard bone below is built. Next is a dense, rigid bone called the compact bone. It is shaped like a cylinder and is so hard that surgeons must use a saw to cut through it. It is honeycombed with thousands of tiny holes and passageways, through which run nerves and blood vessels that supply oxygen and nutrients to the bone. This dense layer supports the weight of the body and is made up of mostly calcium and minerals, so that it feels no pain. The "skin," however, is very sensitive, so that when a bone is broken, injured nerve fibers run through the compact bone and send messages which relay the pain signals to the brain. If we cut though the compact bone, we find that its cylinder surrounds and protects the spongy bone marrow which contains a material much like gelatin. This marrow produces either red blood cells (which carry oxygen), white blood cells (which fight infection), or platelets (that help stop bleeding). These three bone layers work together with nerve signals which speed back and forth and blood streams which move between the layers. Thighbones are usually stronger, pound for pound, than reinforced concrete.
DID YOU KNOW!!
A typical vertebra has a drum-shaped "body" (centrum) that forms a thick, anterior portion of the bone. A longitudinal row of the bodies supports the weight of the head and trunk. The intervertebral disks, which separate joining vertebrae, are fastened to the roughened upper and lower surfaces of the bodies. These disks cushion and soften the forces created by walking and jumping, which might otherwise fracture the vertebrae or jar the brain. Each intervertebral disk is composed of a band of fibrous fibrocartilage (anulus fibrosus) that surrounds a gelatinous core, called the "nucleus pulposus." The bodies of adjacent vertebrae are joined on the front surfaces by "anterior ligaments" and on the back by "posterior ligaments." Projecting from the back of each body are two short stalks called "pedicles." They form the sides of the "vertebral foramen." Two plates (laminae) arise from the pedicles and fuse in the back to become "spinous process." The pedicles, laminae, and spinous process together complete a bony vertebral arch around the vertebral opening, through which the spinal cord passes. Between the pedicles and laminae of a typical vertebra is a "transverse process" that projects laterally and toward the back. Various ligaments and muscles are attached to the spinal process and the transverse process. Projecting upward and downward from each vertebral arch are "superior" and "inferior articulating processes." These processes bear cartilage-covered facets by which each vertebra is joined to the one above and the one below it. On the surfaces of the vertebral pedicles are notches that align to create openings, called "intervertebral foramina." These openings provide passageways for spinal nerves that proceed between joining vertebrae and connect to the spinal cord.
DID YOU KNOW!!
The human female is physically capable of producing as many as thirty five children in her lifetime.
DID YOU KNOW!!
Did you know that the average person will breathe about seventy five million gallons of air in a lifetime.
DID YOU KNOW!!
About every seven years, your body replaces the equivalent of an entirely new skeleton.
DID YOU KNOW!!
The cardiovascular system includes the heart and the blood vessels, and the respiratory system contains those organs which are responsible for carrying oxygen from the air to the blood stream and expelling the waste product of carbon dioxide. Blood is that sticky, red fluid that circulates throughout our bodies in veins and arteries. The heart pumps oxygen into the blood and collects carbon dioxide from it to be expelled through the lungs. We usually think of respiration as the process of the lungs after air is breathed in through the mouth or nose. The lungs do play a very important role, but every living cell in the body is involved in this process. Respiration is the act of burning energy from oxygen. Breathing is an obvious part of the respiratory passages, but these also involve yawning, sneezing, coughing, hiccups, the power of speech, and the sense of smell. The respiratory flow has been "kidnapped" by the larynx, or voice box, which uses it to create a multiple range of sounds so that humans can communicate vocally. These systems' tasks include organs which take up space in the face and neck and most of the chest. The cardiovascular and respiratory systems are basic to life and breathing, like the beat of one's heart, is an automatic function which is controlled by the brain.
DID YOU KNOW!!
The digestive system is a group of organs that work like wrecking equipment to break down the chemical components of food, through the use of digestive juices, into tiny nutrients which can be absorbed to generate energy for the body. This system also builds and replaces cells and tissues, which are constantly dying. Digestion begins in the mouth with the teeth, which grind the food into small particles; the tongue, a powerful muscle which detects "good" and "bad" flavors in food and manipulates the food between the teeth for chewing, and saliva, a watery fluid which lubricates chewing and swallowing and begins the process of digestion. The digestive system begins in the mouth, continues in the pharynx (throat) and esophagus and into the "gut" region: the stomach, small and large intestines, the rectum and the anus. Food is chewed, pulped and mixed with saliva to become a soft mass which will easily travel down the esophagus. The tongue traps the food and forces it into the throat, which is a mass of muscles and tissues which transports food into the gut system for final processing and distribution. The throat closes the top of the breathing pipes, but if the food accidentally enters these pipes, it goes down the "wrong way" and must be coughed up before the body chokes or asphyxiates. As food passes through the body, it is mixed with an unbelievable amount of chemicals, which break it down into small units that can be absorbed into the blood and lymph systems. Some is used for energy, some as building blocks for tissues and cells, and some is stored for future or emergency use. The liver and the pancreas also secrete digestive juices that break down food as it passes through the digestive ducts. Not all that we eat can be digested, so the waste must be disposed of in an efficient way. It may not be a savory ending for the food or drink we thought was so delicious in the mouth, but it is just as important for our health.
DID YOU KNOW!!
A wide variety of physiological processes are carried out unconsciously by the endocrine system through chemical messengers called "hormones." The endocrine system is a collection of glands that produces these hormones, which are necessary for normal bodily functions. The hormones regulate metabolism, growth and sexual development. These glands release the hormones directly into the bloodstream, where they are transported to organs and tissues throughout the entire body.
DID YOU KNOW!!
The lymphatic system and the cardiovascular system are closely related structures that are joined by a capillary system. The is important to the body's defense mechanisms. It filters out organisms that cause disease, produces certain white blood cells and generates antibodies. It is also important for the distribution of fluids and nutrients in the body, because it drains excess fluids and protein so that tissues do not swell up. "Lymph" is a milky body fluid that contains a type of white blood cells, called "lymphocytes," along with proteins and fats. Lymph seeps outside the blood vessels in spaces of body tissues and is stored in the "lymphatic" system to flow back into the bloodstream. Through the flow of blood in and out of arteries, and into the veins, and through the lymph nodes and into the lymph, the body is able to eliminate the products of cellular breakdown and bacterial invasion. Two very large areas are of significance in this system - the right lymphatic duct which drains lymph fluid from the upper right quarter of the body above the diaphragm and down the midline, and the thoracic duct, a structure roughly sixteen inches long located in the mediastinum of the pleural cavity which drains the rest of the body. It is through the actions of this system including the spleen, the thymus, lymph nodes and lymph ducts that our body is able to fight infection and to ward off invasion from foreign invaders. Lymph plays an important role in the immune system and in absorbing fats from the intestines. The lymphatic vessels are present wherever there are blood vessels and transport excess fluid to the end vessels without the assistance of any "pumping" action. There are more than 100 tiny, oval structures (called lymph nodes). These are mainly in the neck, groin and armpits, but are scattered all along the lymph vessels. They act as barriers to infection by filtering out and destroying toxins and germs. The largest body of lymphoid tissue in the human body is the spleen.
DID YOU KNOW!!
Muscle is attached to bone by tendons and other tissue and exerts force by converting chemical energy into tension and contraction. Muscles move and make us capable of a variety of actions, but muscle only really contracts and becomes shorter: they pull but they cannot push. Muscle is made up of millions of tiny protein filaments which work together to produce motion in the body. Each of more than 600 muscles is served by nerves which link the muscle to the brain and spinal cord. Our bodily needs demand that muscles accomplish different chores, so we are equipped with three types of muscle: cardiac muscles, found only in the heart, which power the pumping action throughout life, and "smooth" muscles, which surround or are part of the internal organs. Both of these muscle types are involuntary and are not under any conscious control. The third type is muscle we use when we will action; they are what aches after a ten-mile hike, and are called "skeletal" muscles. These carry out voluntary movements and make up about 23%% of the woman's body weight and about 40%% of a man's and are the body's most abundant tissue.
DID YOU KNOW!!
The nervous system is the body's information gatherer, storage center and control system. Its overall function is to collect information about the external conditions in relation to the body's external state, to analyze this information, and to initiate appropriate responses to satisfy certain needs. The most powerful of these needs is survival. The nerves do not form one single system, but several which are interrelated. Some of these are physically separate, others are different in function only. The brain and spinal cord make up the central nervous system. The peripheral nervous system is responsible for the body functions which are not under conscious control - like the heartbeat or the digestive system. The smooth operation of the peripheral nervous system is achieved by dividing it into sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. These are opposing actions and check on each other to provide a balance. The nervous system uses electrical impulses, which travel along the length of the cells. The cell processes information from the sensory nerves and initiates an action within milliseconds. These impulses travel at up to 250 miles per hour, while other systems such as the endocrines may take many hours to respond with hormones.
DID YOU KNOW!!
The reproduction system uses the process of producing a new generation to continue the existence of the species by the fusion of two cells from different individuals; this is achieved in humans by the fusion of one sperm and one ovum (egg). This fusion is called "fertilization" and is achieved by sexual intercourse between a male and female or by artificial insemination. The male body is designed to allow the manufacture, storage and transfer of male sex cells (or sperm). The female body is designed to manufacture, store and release eggs (ova). The creation of human life is a miracle to behold as two tiny cells - the sperm and the ovum - fuse to form a new cell which, after fertilization, resides in the female womb. Nine months later, a fully- formed, breathing, living human being in tiny replica is born.
DID YOU KNOW!!
The average human adult skeleton has 206 bones joined to ligaments and tendons to form a protective and supportive framework for the attached muscles and the soft tissues which underlie it. The skeleton has two main parts: the axial skeleton and the appendicular skeleton. The axial skeleton consists of the skull, the spine, the ribs and the sternum (breastbone) and includes 80 bones. The appendicular skeleton includes two limb girdles (the shoulders and pelvis) and their attached limb bones. This part of the skeletal system contains 126 bones, 64 in the shoulders and upper limbs and 62 in the pelvis and lower limbs. There are only minor differences between the skeletons of the male and the female: the men's bones tend to be larger and heavier than corresponding women's bones and the women's pelvic cavity is wider to accommodate childbirth. The skeleton plays an important part in movement by providing a series of independently movable levers, which the muscles can pull to move different parts of the body. It also supports and protects the internal body organs. The skeleton is not just a movable frame, however; it is an efficient factory which produces red blood cells from the bone marrow of certain bones and white cells from the marrow of other bones to destroy harmful bacteria. The bones are also a storehouse for minerals - calcium, for example - which can be supplied to other parts of the body. Babies are born with 270 soft bones - about 64 more than an adult; and many of these will fuse together by the age of twenty or twenty-five into the 206 hard, permanent bones.
DID YOU KNOW!!
The brain is a jelly-like substance, which in adults weighs about three pounds. It is divided into three parts: the brain stem, which is an extension of the spinal cord, the forebrain (which consists mainly of the cerebruim) and the cerebellum. The forebrain and cerebellum are divided into two hemispheres which are linked by a thick band of nerve fibers and these hemispheres have areas, called "lobes," which perform specific functions. The brain's surface lies in rather ugly, wrinkled folds. Traditionally referred to as one's "gray matter," it does, indeed, contain gray nerve cell bodies which surround a smaller mass of white nerve fibers. The brain, like the heart, is protected by a buffer zone. This, in the form of fluid, may be the source of "water on the brain," but it is very necessary to our survival. Only these pools of fluid and the skull protect the brain from the bumps and grinds of daily living which would damage this fragile organ. With them, we are able to think, reason, love, forgive, create and remember, as well as to survive through automatic processes such as breathing and digesting, and we have reflexes which signal in case of "fight or flight" emergencies. Just think of it!
