The amazing human body Custom Search The human body is one of the greatest wonders of nature. It develops from just one cell-the zygote (fertilized ovum) which is formed by the union of the ovum with one sperm. That one cell goes on dividing and subdividing, differentiating into various tissues to form the complete human body. Growth and development continue after birth till the newborn baby becomes an adult. The newborn baby is unique and differs from older children in many ways. For example the different bones making up the skull are not fully united at birth. Hence newborn babies have gaps in the bones. The one near the front is called anterior fontanelle. Another gap may be felt in the midline near the back of the head. This is called posterior fontanelle. This is smaller than the anterior fontanelle and may not be felt in all normal babies. Just imagine what happens if the skull bones are completely fused at birth. The brain will not be able to grow at all. Various organ systems of the body work in coordination, to maintain health. For example if a person does strenuous work the muscles need more oxygen. Hence the lungs and heart do more work to supply extra oxygen. Advertisement When the atmospheric temperature is high the blood vessels dilate and the body loses more heat in the form of perspiration. The thirst mechanism is activated making the person drink more water. When exposed to cold the blood vessels constrict reducing heat loss and maintaining inner temperature. If the cold is severe the brain sends impulses to the muscles causing shivering and producing more heat. The core temperature is maintained within a narrow range in spite of wide fluctuations in atmospheric temperature. It is indeed quite fascinating to learn the structure and function of various organ systems of the body of man. It is often said that health is wealth. But most of the people take health for granted and ruin their health with bad habits and wrong life styles. Learning about the wonderful structure and the complicated functioning of the body may make people more cautious about their health and treat their bodies with care. Acknowledgement
I am grateful to the following doctors for clearing my doubts while preparing this section.
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Page last reviewed on 13th January 2010
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