Page 54 - The Miracle of the Immune System

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THE MIRACLE OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM

gulfed, to bilirubin, a bile pigment. Then, the bilirubin is released to the
venous circulation and sent to the liver. In this form, it can be discharged
out of the body along with the bile. However, the iron molecule found in
the bilirubin which is about to be discharged out of the intestines along
with the bile, is a rare material which is very valuable for the body. For
this reason, iron is absorbed back in a certain region of the small intestines
and from there, it first goes to the liver and then to the bone marrow. Here,
the purpose is both to discharge the bilirubin, which is a harmful sub-
stance, and, at the same time, to regain the iron.
The bilirubin balance is crucial for our body. This is because even the
slightest problem in this system would lead to serious outcomes. One of
the best examples is that when bilirubin goes above a certain level, jaun-

dice develops in the body. However, the cells in our body, as if they are
aware of this danger, discharge the harmful materials from our body with
a great precision while they select the useful ones among them and put
them into use once again.

Red Blood Cell Storage
The skills of the spleen do not end
here. The spleen stores a certain amount
of blood cells (red blood cell and throm-
bocytes). The word "store" may conjure

up an image of a separate compartment Is it you who
in the spleen that can be used for stor- create it or are
age. The spleen, however, is a small or- We the Creator?
gan, and it has no space to use as a stor- (Surat al-
age room. In such cases, the spleen ex- Waqi'a: 59)
pands to make room for red blood cells
and thrombocytes. A spleen enlarged
due to some diseases may also have an
enlarged storage space.