Page 60 - The Miracle of Electricity in the Body

58 THE MIRACLE OF ELECTRICITY IN THE BODY

• The first domino will not fall until pushed with enough force. In
a similar way, a nerve signal will not be triggered until stimulated with
sufficient force—expressed as a threshold. The threshold phenomenon is
observed in the transmission of signals pertaining to the senses. For ex-
ample, we cannot hear very faint sounds because the signals they gener-
ate are not sufficiently powerful to set into motion signals from the au-
ditory nerves.
• The chain of dominoes loses none of its energy as the individual
dominoes fall over. The energy thus continues transmitted, undimin-
ished, until the last one falls. That is because each standing domino falls
over with the same kinetic energy (the energy a body possesses because
of its speed). Neither do nerve signals lose any of their energy as their
signal is transmitted.
• A domino falls in only one direction. In the same way, nerve
stimuli move only from dendrite to axon.
As you see, every detail of the body is an example of very wise cre-
ation. The existence of all these must lead us to reflect more deeply, love
our Lord more deeply, and give greater thanks to Him, the Creator of all.
One of the exemplary pieces of behavior of believers is revealed in
the Qur’an:

Those who remember God, standing, sitting and lying on their sides,
and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the Earth: “Our Lord, You
have not created this for nothing. Glory be to You! So safeguard us from
the punishment of the Fire.” (Surah Al ‘Imran, 191)

THE MYELIN SHEATH: A SPECIAL INSULATING MATERIAL

Nerve fibers that transmit messages from the brain to the muscles
and other organs and back to the brain are covered with a special fatty
tissue, known as myelin. This not only protects the nerve fibers, but also
assists them in forwarding electrical signals.
Myelin functions like the non-conductive plastic or rubber coatings
around electrical cables, insulating them so that no one touching them
will experience a shock and also so that no electric current leaks out,