The physiology of the human body is incredibly fascinating. I had absolutely NO idea how very little I knew until I started taking these classes. In fact, I actually thought I wouldn't learn that much! And instead my understanding of how the body works and how infinitely complex it is has grown by leaps and bounds. And there is still SO MUCH to learn. I hope a day will never come when I tire of learning, especially all things medical. Most of the things I learned are way too in depth to try and transmit it to this blog- and also I'm sure I'd bore everyone to tears! Just for fun though, here is a list of some interesting ... and short!... facts that I learned this semester.
1. The brain contains 100 billion neurons (actual transmitting cells) and 10-50 trillion neuroglia (supportive nerve cells)
2. Some neurons are capable of transmitting signals at rates up to 280 mph
3. our sense of balance comes from crystals, gel, and hair cells in the semicircular canals in the inner ear. As our heads move, the crystals shift and stimulate the hair cells which then synapse with one of the cranial nerves which carries the signal to the brain.
4. the primitive heart begans beating on the 22nd day of gestation
5. It is actually possible to give yourself a heart attack while sitting on the toilet "taking care of business" - no one start worrying about taking a poo though :)
6. we have around 5 million red blood cells in one cubic millimeters of blood
7. blood starts clotting within 15 secs of an injury
8. one drop of blood makes a complete circulation through the body in one minute
9. when you add one pound of body fat, your body must make 200 new miles of blood vessels to supply the new fat
10. during fetal development, babies form 3 separate pairs of kidneys- the first two both deteriorate and the 3rd one becomes the kidney they are born with. The kidneys are not fully mature until 2-3 yrs of age. I'll spare you the lecture on how the kidneys work, but take my word for it- incredibly interesting.
11. after a baby is born and the umbilical cord is cut, the blood vessels from the cord to the babies organs, etc form connective tissue and ligaments that hold different organs/vessels together.
12. all babies have a hole in the heart called a foramen ovale, between the two atria for exchange of blood which closes naturally in most babies.
13. injured cells release chemicals that attract white blood cells to the area to begin the repair process
14. 60% of prescriptions are prescribed incorrectly leading to a $20 billion additional medical expense every year. Doctors prescribe 12 million antibiotic prescriptions/yr for upper respiratory tract infections- 90% of which are viral and cannot be treated with antibiotics.
15. There are 2 million cases of hospital acquired infections every year in the US. Most of these are caused by the introduction of microorganisms through medical treatment or procedures.
Those last two are actually quite depressing.... so sorry about that! I actually have a super disgusting one that I"ll gladly pass along but I won't post it on here cause my brother would never forgive me. So if you want the gross ones- you shoot me an email and I'll send you a few bonus gross facts! ha!
This is the other face we got a lot of this year. silly girl