Page 42 - The Miracle of the Immune System

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THE MIRACLE OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM

regions where the body fights with antigens such as in tears, saliva, moth-
er’s milk, blood, air sacs, mucus, gastric and intestinal secretions. The sen-
sitivity of those regions relates directly to the tendency of bacteria and vi-
ruses to prefer such damp mediums.
IgAs, which are structurally quite similar to each other, settle in those
regions of the body where microbes are most likely to enter, and they keep
this area under control. This is like placing reliable soldiers on guard at
strategically critical points.
The antibodies, which protect the foetus from various diseases in the
mother’s womb, do not abandon the newborn following their birth, but
continue to guard them. All newborn babies do need ongoing assistance

from the mother, because there are no IgAs in the organism of a newborn
baby. During this period, the IgAs present in the milk the baby sucks from
its mother protect the baby’s digestive system from the effect of many mi-
crobes. Just like IgGs, this antibody class also disappears after they have
fulfilled their term of service, when the baby is a few weeks old.
Have you ever wondered who sends you these antibodies that try to
protect you from microbes, when you are in the form of an embryo and
unaware of anything? Is it your mother or your father? Or is it that they
have taken a common decision and sent you these antibodies together?
Certainly, the help in question is out of the control of both parents. The
mother is not even aware that she has been endowed with such an aid
plan. The father is just as unaware of all that is going on.
Then why do the cells present in the mother’s breast and productive
of these antibodies function in such a way? Which power has told these
cells that the newborn needs antibodies? It is by no means a coincidence
that the cells engaging in antibody production for the baby are located in

the place where the newborns suckle.
Here, there is another very important miracle. Antibodies are pro-
tein-structured organisms. Proteins, on the other hand, are digested in the
human stomach. Therefore, normally, the baby suckling milk from its
mother would digest these antibodies in its stomach, and would become