Page 49 - The Miracle of Electricity in the Body

Elektrik Akımı Üreten Hücreler: Nöronlar 47

CELLS THAT PRODUCE THEIR OWN ENERGY

As you have already seen, your body functions with electricity.
However, in contrast to the other electrical systems we are accustomed
to seeing, your body takes in no electricity from the outside.
Consider any electrical device. In order for it to
function, it requires an electrical current provided
from some outside source, or else to be by means of
batteries. Otherwise, in the absence of electrical en-
ergy, even the most advanced machine will serve no
purpose. But in contrast your body creates the very
energy it needs. Trillions of cells produce—and
use—electricity in order for life to continue.
Every cell is like a miniaturized battery that per-
mits the body to function as a whole. Surrounding the
cell is a liquid rich in potassium, and the inside is full
of liquid high in sodium. When you mix potassium and
sodium, the two chemicals react and an electricity
emerges as a side product. This is analogous to
a car battery’s producing electricity when
sulfuric acid and lead come in contact. In
much the same way that radios, music
players, flashlights, clocks and appli-
ances work with energy they obtain from
batteries, no car can operate without
the energy stored in its battery.