Page 19 - The Miracle of Hormones

he fact that you are able to sit comforta-
bly in your chair and read these senten-
T ces is due to systems that organize the
internal balance of your body for your benefit.
For example, no matter what the temperature
outside, your body must always be kept at a
constant temperature, usually between 36.5
and 37.5 degrees. A sudden fall or rise in body
temperature may result in death. The body
temperature of a healthy individual, thanks to
these systems, will vary at most 0.5 of a degree.
In the same way, the pressure of the blood in the
veins, the amount of fluid in the blood, and the
speed at which the cells function must be deli-
cately measured, and the existing balance safe-
guarded at every moment.
Let us imagine the efforts needed to artifi-
cially ensure these balances. First, imagine that
there exist delicate thermometers in a few pla-
ces in the body, special devices to measure the
density of the blood in the veins, and mini labo-
ratories to control the rate of speed at which the
cells function. Then, imagine that all these

thousands of tiny devices located in every point
in the body must make the right assessments
every second and transmit the information they
receive to a highly advanced computer.
However, it is not enough that these assess-
ments are made alone; at the same time, it is also
necessary to know, according to the available
data, which actions must be taken and what kind
of command must be given to which cells.