MY
BODY TEMPLE
PART 18
OUR
BONES
You
will remember that the bones are the framework of the body, just like
the 2X4s in a house are called its frame. All the bones together make
up the skeleton. There are about two hundred bones in all. They are
many different shapes and sizes from the tiny bones of your ear, which
are smallest, to the upper bone of your leg, which is the largest. The
skeleton is divided into four parts: the skull, the trunk, the arms,
and the legs.
The
skull is something like a shell. It is made of a number of bones
joined together to leave a hollow place inside to hold the brain. The
front part of the skull forms the framework of the face and the jaws.
In each ear there are three tiny little bones, which help us hear.
The
bones of the trunk are, the ribs, the breastbone, the pelvis, and the
backbone or spine. The bones of the trunk form a framework to
support and protect the various organs in its cavities.
There
are twelve ribs on each side. The ribs join the backbone at the back
and are connected by cartilage to the breast bone in front. With the
breastbone and the backbone they make a bony cage to hold and protect
the heart and the lungs.
The
pelvis is at the lower part of the trunk. It is formed by three bones
closely joined together. The large bones at either side are the
hipbones. Each hipbone contains a deep round cavity where the upper
end of the thighbone rests.
The
backbone, or spinal column, is made of twenty-four small bones, joined
together in such a way that it can bend in many directions. The skull
is on the upper end of the spinal column. The lower end of the
backbone is part of the pelvis.
Each
of the separate bones that make up the backbone has an open center,
and the bones arranged, one above another make a sort of canal in the
backbone. This canal opens into the cavity of the skull. Through it
passes a cable of nerves called the spinal cord.
Each
of the arms has five bones, besides the small bones of the hand. They
are the collarbone, which connects the shoulder to the breastbone, the
shoulder blade, at the back of the shoulders, the upper arm bone,
between the shoulder and the elbow, and the two lower arm bones,
between the elbow and wrist. There are eight little bones in the
wrist, five in the hand next to the wrist, and fourteen in the fingers
and thumb.
The
bones of the leg are the thigh or upper leg bone, the kneecap, which
covers the front of the knee, the two bones of the lower leg, the heel
bone and six other bones in the ankle, five bones next to the ankle,
and fourteen bones in the toes.
The
skeleton is not only needed as a framework for the body, but it is
useful in other ways. Some of the bones, like the skull, protect
delicate parts. The brain is so soft and delicate that it needs its
solid bony covering. The spinal cord also needs the protection of the
strong but flexible backbone. The bones help to move our hands and
arms, and assist us in walking.
The
places where two or more bones are fastened together are called
joints. Some joints we can move very freely, like the shoulder and the
hip. Others have no motion at all, like the bones of the skull.
The
ends of bones that come together to form a joint are covered with a
smooth, tough substance, which protects the bone from wear. This is
called gristle or cartilage. The joint contains a fluid to oil it, so
that the ends of bones move very easily. If the joints were dry, every
movement of the body would be very difficult and painful.
The
bones are held together at the joints by means of strong bands called
ligaments.
Bones
are not so solid as they seem to be. The outside of most bones is much
harder than the inside. Long bones, like the arms and legs, are
hollow. The hollow space is filled with marrow, in which are blood
vessels to nourish the bone.
It
is calcium and other minerals that makes the bones hard and firm so
they do not bend by the weight of the body. When we get old, our bones
start losing these minerals, and become more brittle, and can break
more easily. One of the good things about a vegetarian diet is that in
old age, bones lose their calcium much more slowly than heavy meat
eaters’ bones. =^..^=
MY BODY
TEMPLE
PART 19
Keeping
our Bones Healthy
Our
bones, like the rest of our bodies, are made of what we eat. If our
food does not contain enough of what is needed to make healthy bones,
our bones will become unhealthy. They may be too soft and become bent
or misshapen.
Bread
made from the whole grain is so much more healthful than that made
from white flour. In making white flour the miller takes out the very
best part of the grain, just what is needed to make strong and healthy
bones. Oatmeal is a very good food for making healthy bones, as well
as dark green vegetables.
We
should not allow ourselves to slouch when sitting, or standing. This
is the way uneven shoulders, curved spines, and other deformities can
be caused. Always try to stand up straight, and do not slouch when you
sit down.
By
rough play or by accident the bones may be broken in two, just as you
might break a stick. If the broken parts are placed right, our Creator
will cement them together and make the bone strong again; but
occasionally the bones do not unite, and now and again they grow
together out of shape, and permanent injury is done.
Sometimes
the ligaments, which hold the bones together in a joint are torn or
overstretched. Such an accident is called a sprain. A sprain is a
painful accident, and a joint injured in this way needs to rest a long
time, so that the ligaments grow together again.
Ligaments
can be torn so badly that the ends of the bones are displaced, and
then we say they are out of joint. This is a very bad accident indeed,
but it often happens to boys while wrestling or playing at rough
games.
When
a man uses alcohol and tobacco, their effects upon the bones are not
so obvious as they are on the blood, nerves, and other organs; but
when a growing child uses these poisonous drugs, their damaging
influence is plainly
seen. A young person who smokes, or uses alcohol, often ends up
stunted, so that even the bones will not grow to a proper length and
they will be dwarfed. =^..^=
MY BODY
TEMPLE
PART 20
Our
Muscles
Many
people in the world eat meat. Where does this meat come from? From the
grocery store, you may say. But where does the store get it? From the
muscles of an animal, which has been killed. Squeeze your arm, and you
will notice that the bones are covered by a soft substance, which is
your meat, or muscle. If you see the skinned body of an animal, you
can see that some of the flesh is white or yellow and some of it is
dark red. The white or yellow part is usually fat. The dark red part
is meat, the animal’s muscles.
We
have about five hundred different muscles in our body. They cover the
bones and make the body round and beautiful. They are of different
forms and sizes.
Most
muscles are arranged in pairs; that is, we have two alike of each, one
for each side of the body.
If
you examine a piece of meat carefully, you will see it is made up of
bundles of small fibers or threads of flesh. You can pick one of the
small fibers into fine threads. Now, if you look at one of these under
a microscope, you find that it is made of still finer fibers, which
are much smaller than the threads of a spider's web. One of these
smallest threads in called a muscle fiber. Many thousands of muscle
fibers make a muscle.
Most
muscles are attached to bones. Generally, one end is attached to one
bone, and the other to another bone. Sometimes one end is connected to
a bone and the other to the skin or other muscles.
Many
of the muscles are not joined to the bones directly, but are attached
by firm cords called tendons. If you place the thumb of your left hand
upon the wrist of your right hand, and then move your right fingers,
you can feel these cords moving underneath the skin.
With
your left hand, grasp your right arm just in front of the elbow. Now
shut the right hand tightly. Now open it. Repeat several times. You
can feel something moving in the flesh. This is caused by the working
of the muscles, which shorten and harden when they move.
All
the movements of the body are made by means of muscles. When we move
our hands, even when we close our mouth or eyes, or smile, we use
muscles. We could not speak, laugh, sing, or breathe without muscles.
Did
you ever have a fit of sneezing or hiccoughing? If you ever did, very
likely you tried hard to stop but could not. Do you know why you
can’t stop sneezing or hiccoughing when you want to? It is because
certain muscles in the body do not act only when we wish them to, but
when it is necessary that they should. The muscles that make us sneeze
or hiccough are like that. The arm and the hand do not move
unless we want them to do so. Their muscles are called ‘voluntary
muscles’. But what if our heart was like that? We would have to
always stay awake to keep it going, the same with our breathing. We
breathe when we are asleep as well as when we are awake, because the
breathing muscles work even when we do not think about them.
The
stomach, the intestines, the blood vessels,
and many other organs of the body have this kind of muscles. The work
of these involuntary (self-acting) muscles is very wonderful indeed.
Without it we could not live. Consider how dependent we are, each
moment of our lives, upon the delicate machinery by which the most
important work of our bodies is performed, and how careful we should
be to keep it in good order by taking proper care of ourselves. Every
breath we take, every beat of our heart, is God's wonderful gift of
life to each of us. Isn't the body He has given us a wonderful thing! =^..^=
 
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