Monthly Archives: April 2014
199.WHAT IS INSTINCT?
Most of us think that every action we take is voluntary — that we sit down and stand up because we want to, or shake hands because we want to, and so on.
But the actions of people and all living things are really not so easily explained. For example, as you ride a bicycle, you may make dozens of motions without even thinking about them as you do them. These actions are the result of learning and experience.
198.WHAT IS CALCIUM?
The average body of a human being contains about three pounds of calcium. Most of this is found in the bones. Calcium is an essential part of the structure of the bone.
We might, in fact, compare the structure of a bone to reinforced concrete. The bone has certain fibers called collagen fibers which are like the flexible iron wires often embedded in concrete. Calcium forms the bed in which these bone fibers are fixed.
197.WHAT CAUSES A REFLEX?
When you go to the doctor, does he ask you to cross your legs and then hit your knee with a small rubber hammer?
What the doctor is testing is the reflex action. In this case, it is a special reflex called the patellar reflex, because the hammer struck a ligament called the patellar ligament.
