Page 24 - The Miracle of Electricity in the Body

22 THE MIRACLE OF ELECTRICITY IN THE BODY

NERVES: OUR BODIES’ ELECTRICAL CABLES

Electricity cables consist of two main components: Inside, there’s
generally a copper wire through which the electric current passes; and
outside and surrounding it, there is some kind of insulating material that
prevents electrons escaping their intended path, in the process called
short circuiting.
Nerve cells possess exactly the same design as an electrical cable:
Inside are very fine fibers, through which the body’s electrical current
passes. Surrounding them is an insulating tissue known as the Schwann
sheath, which prevents neurological short circuiting. When the sheath is
damaged for any reason—by a virus for example—then the nerve’s cur-
rent is dispersed throughout the tissues, resulting in partial or total
paralysis, in much the same way that an electrical cable loses its function
when its rubber casing splits or burns.
All nerve fibers have electrical charges. The electricity outside the
fiber is positively charged and the inside is negatively charged. The mo-
ment a nerve is touched an electrical impulse is given off. Positively
charged ions enter the nerve sheath while negative ions move to the ex-
terior of the nerve fiber, thus setting up an electrical current. As a result,
the relevant muscle or organ functions. Once the electrical current has
been transmitted, everything returns to its normal state. Positively
charged ions again flow to the outside of the nerve fiber, and negatively
charged ions return inside. In this way, the nerve fiber is readied for an-
other stimulus or impulse.
Thanks to this constantly repeated process, the activities continue
that keep us alive. However, this procedure is a great deal more detailed
and possesses a far more complex design than is summarized here. The
more the imaging power of our electron microscopes increases, the more
complexity emerges to amaze scientists. The design of the cells that con-
stitute the nerves is full of astonishing details that display the infinite
might of our Lord:
The kingdom of the heavens and the Earth and everything in them be-
longs to God. He has power over all things. (Surat al-Ma’ida, 120)