Page 29 - The Miracle of Human Creation

A PERFECT ARMY SET

ON ITS GOAL

hink of an immense army composed of millions of soldiers. They
are advancing toward a common target, they encounter obstac-
T les on the way and find themselves in mortal danger, but in spi-
te of all these difficulties the army does not give up. The space these
soldiers must traverse in order to reach their target is one hundred tho-
usand times larger than they are themselves. Of course, such a crowded
army setting out on such a difficult road will need guides and equipment
to help them reach their goal.

This huge army with 300 million soldiers is inside the male body. The
soldiers are the sperm. Each one is about one hundredth of a millimetre in
size. Their target is to reach the egg cell, and to do this, they must travel a
very long road.
Of the 300 million sperm cells that set out on the road together, only
the strongest one thousand will succeed in reaching the egg. Out of these
only one single sperm will win the race and fertilise the egg. Before ente-
ring this race, the sperm first set out on a long journey within the male
reproductive organs, passing through various stages on their way to ma-
turity. In this maturing process, the sperm have many helpers.

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