Is it true that the rib is the only bone in the human body that does not have a brain?

There is a common opinion that there is no brain in the edge. The corresponding joke about the mental abilities of women, created, according to biblical mythology, from the rib of Adam, is based on this conviction. We decided to check if the rib really has such a distinctive feature.

That the rib is the only bone in the human body that has no brain, They tell on numerous forums and sites with questions And answers. "Brainlessness»Eve and, therefore, All women Dedicated jokes - they discuss them even in articles On religion and on the sites of Orthodox temples.

Bone marrow is a spongy tissue education, playing an important role in the production of blood, as well as producing immune cells that protect the body from infections and diseases. Making On average, 5% of body weight and being one of the most active organs, it is constantly updated and produces new blood cells. Bone marrow shares On two main types: red and yellow. In red Formed red blood cells, eosinophils, neutrophils, basophils, lymphocytes, monocytes and platelets. Yellow consists of Basically from adipose tissue and performs the function of energy supply. Some researchers Select The third type is gelatin -like (mucous) bone marrow. It is formed in the bones of the skull and does not produce hematopoietic cells, instead producing glycosaminoglycans, important components of the connective tissue.

Bone marrow located In the femoral bones, in the bones of the pelvis, ribs, sternum, inside the vertebral bodies, as well as in the bones of the skull and some bones of the limbs, such as radiation and elbow. The largest amount of red bone marrow is located in the bones of the pelvis and skull, it is also located in the sternum (oblong flat bone in the middle of the chest) and in the ribs that are attached to it. The yellow bone marrow is located mainly in the bones of the limbs. At the same time, newborn children in all bones contain only the red bone marrow. As they grow old, part of the red bone marrow Replaced yellow. So, at the age of one month in a child, the yellow bone marrow is already found in a minimum amount in the diaphysis (central part) of the tubular bones. The substitution process lasts up to 14-15 years, when the ratio of the red and yellow bone marrow becomes approximately the same, that is, the same as an adult.

Some pathologies, such as leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, aplastic anemia, Fanconi disease and some autoimmune diseases, require bone marrow transplantation (transplantation hematopoietic stem cells). The transplantation is autogenic (pre -prepared cells are used from the patient himself) and allogeneous (cells from the donor are used, for example, related). Two methods are used for bone marrow sampling: scams and aspiration. At scam The donor begins to take drugs in advance, “exposing” hematopoietic cells from the bone marrow into the blood, then he is taken from the vein on one hand, driven through a special filtering device and returned to the other hand. During the aspiration procedure, the doctor Uses The needle to take bone marrow from the bone tissue of the donor. Typically, the bone marrow for transplantation is taken from the bones of the pelvis or chest, much less often - from ribs. Firstly, the rods contain less bone marrow than other bones. Secondly, the bone marrow from the ribs can be painful and cause complications.

However, in rare cases, if a sample of bone marrow is required for diagnosis, doctors can take it from Riber. For example, in 2001, doctors from the University of Bologna Published The results of their work on increasing the accuracy of the diagnosis of esophagus cancer and mercilecock lung cancer. Observation was based on bone marrow studies of 21 patients. Doctors studied samples obtained in two ways: classic fence (trepanobiopsy iliac bone using the Yamshidi needle) and with the help of surgical resection of the Riber segment. Tumor cells were found in the materials of the ribs segments of ten patients, in any of them in the materials taken in the classic method, tumor cells were found. That is, the resection of the rib segment, coupled with the study of the bone marrow, turned out to be a more accurate diagnostic method than traditional trepanobiopsy. Samples bone marrow, taken It is from ribs, used in others scientific research.

Perhaps the popular myth has spread due to the fact that in the Russian language the term “bone marrow” contains the word “brain”, although it does not look completely like a head and spinning. The bone marrow does not belong to the nervous system, and it does not have the most important component of the brain and spinal cord - neurons. Enlightenment website about the donation of the bone marrow "Blood 5" ExplainsHow this term could arise: “The word“ brain ”in the Russian language historically means moist flesh, loose mass. Probably earlier people called The brain is pulp inside any bone - in contrast with a solid shell. ”

In the Bible, of course, I was not The terminology of modern anatomical manuals was used. Part of Adam, used to create Eve, is called the word “Cert”, which can also be translated as “side” or “side”. According to the popular interpretation, this reflects the idea of ​​the laid in the primordial person equally male and female principles; Subsequently, the female side was separated from the male.

At the same time, in the bone marrow, including in the rib, there are stem cells, for the study of which scientists have many hopes. For example, stem cells have potential for creation artificial skin, which can be used to treat burns and other skin lesions in development therapy of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer and Parkinson's diseases, Diabetes and heart insufficiency. Therefore, the biblical creation of Eve from the "rib" of Adam can be considered as a act that does not humiliate women, but, on the contrary, the use of advanced scientific technologies.

Image on the cover: Paolo VeronesePublic Domain, Via Wikimedia Commons

Not true

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