Today’s post is brought to you by the letter “S”…and by the number 19

I am so excited to take part in this, my second, A – Z Challenge!  Last year I did the challenge using “recipes” as my inspiration.  Well, this year I’m going to draw on my nursing background and use “parts of the human body” as my inspiration!  Hmmm…a part of the body that starts with “Q”, “X” or “Z”….

It should be a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to seeing how everyone interprets the Challenge!

So, without further ado,  “S”  is for Spinal Cord :  

• The Spinal Cord is connected to the brain and is approximately 46cm (18 inches) long and about the diameter of a human finger.
• From the brain the spinal cord descends down the middle of the back and is surrounded and protected by the bony vertebral column.
• The spinal cord itself,  is surrounded by a clear fluid called Cerebral Spinal Fluid (CSF), that acts as a cushion to protect the delicate nerve tissues against damage from banging against the inside of the vertebrae.
• The spinal cord consists of millions of nerve fibres which transmit electrical information to and from the limbs, trunk and organs of the body, back to and from the brain.
• The nerves which exit the spinal cord in the upper section, (in the neck area), control breathing and the arms. The nerves which exit the spinal cord in the mid and lower section of the back, control the trunk and legs, as well as bladder, bowel and sexual function.
• The nerves which carry information from the brain to muscles are called Motor Neurones.
• The nerves which carry information from the body back to the brain are called Sensory Neurones.
• The brain and spinal cord are referred to as the Central Nervous System.
• The nerves connecting the spinal cord to the body are referred to as the Peripheral Nervous System.

“S” is also for:

salivary gland  An accessory digestive gland that secretes saliva into the oral cavity.

sacroplasm  The cytoplasm within a muscle fiber.

sclera  The outer white layer of fibrous connective tissue that forms the protective covering of the eyeball.

scrotum  A pouch of skin that contains the testes and their accessory organs.

sebaceous gland  An exocrine gland of the skin that secretes sebum.

sebum An oily, waterproofing secretion of the sebaceous glands.

sensory neuron A nerve cell that conducts an impulse from a receptor organ to the central nervous system; also called an afferent neuron.

septum  A membranous or fleshy wall dividing two cavities.

serous membrane  An epithelial and connective tissue membrane that lines body cavities and covers visceral organs within these cavities; also called serosa.

I found the above definitions at the McGraw-Hill Applied Biology Resource Center.  Visit their site and you’ll be amazed to know there are even more “S” parts of the body listed there!

The information contained in this post was obtained from Cedars-Sinai, The National Spinal Cord Injury Association, Spinal Cord Injury Resource Center, Apparalyzed and McGraw-Hill Applied Biology Resource Center.