Five Senses of a human body

An assignment from a student of Dr. Yangas Colleges Inc.

College of Education

In partial fulfillment to the requirements of

Educ 101, Childhood and Adolescence

Submitted by:
Tangil, Jerwin, DC.

August, 2015

Sense of Sight

The human eye

Function:
It enable us to perceive things, it also makes us
informed and aware through seeing the
things in front of us. Some parts protect
the eye from injury (such as the lids
and the epithelium of the cornea).
The human eye has been
called the most complex organ in
our body. It's amazing that
something so small can have so
many
working parts. But when you
consider how
difficult the task of providing vision really is,
perhaps it's no wonder after all.
How the Human Eye Works
In a number of ways, the human eye works much like a digital camera:
1.

Light is focused primarily by the cornea the clear front surface of the
eye, which acts like a camera lens.

2.

The iris of the eye functions like the diaphragm of a camera, controlling
the amount of light reaching the back of the eye by automatically
adjusting the size of the pupil (aperture).

3.

The eye's crystalline lens is located directly behind the pupil and
further focuses light. Through a process called accommodation, this lens
helps the eye automatically focus on near and approaching objects, like an
autofocus camera lens.

4.

Light focused by the cornea and crystalline lens (and limited by the iris
and pupil) then reaches the retina the light-sensitive inner lining of the
back of the eye. The retina acts like an electronic image sensor of a digital
camera, converting optical images into electronic signals. The optic nerve
then transmits these signals to the visual cortex the part of the brain
that controls our sense of sight. (allaboutvision.com)

Sense of Smell
The human nose

Function:
The nose is the body's
primary organ of smell and also
functions as part of the body's
respiratory system.
Air comes into the body through
the nose. As it passes over the
specialized cells of the olfactory
system, the brain recognizes and
identifies smells. Hairs in the nose
clean the air of foreign particles.
As air moves through the nasal passages, it is warmed and humidified before
it goes into the lungs.
The most common medical condition related to the nose is nasal
congestion. This can be caused by colds or flu, allergies, or environmental
factors, resulting in inflammation of the nasal passages. The body's response
to congestion is to convulsively expel air through the nose by a sneeze.
Nosebleeds, known medically as epistaxis, are a second common medical
issue of the nose. As many as 60 percent of people report nosebleed
experiences, with the highest rates found in children under 10 and adults
over 50. (healthline.com)
A human nose is strucutred of bones, cartilage, and fibro fatty tissues.
Sustaining structure of the upper part of nose consists of bones. The upmost
portion near the eye sockets made up of two nasal bones, which is
connected to the frontal bone of the forehead. Those nasal bones are joined
to form the nose stem. On both sides, they are linked with a process of the
maxilla by a hard fibrous membrane. At the base, nasal bones are linked with
septal and lateral nasal cartilage. The lower part of the nose consists
of cartilages. Those cartilages give shape to the external property of the
nose. (harvard-wm.org)

Sense of Hearing
The human ear

Function:
It helps us to recognize sounds.
The ear has external,
middle, and inner portions. The
outer ear is called the pinna and
is made of ridged cartilage
covered by skin.
There are three major parts of
the ears, each divided into
smaller parts. Sounds travel
through each of them and it is
eventually transformed in
electric impulses which reach the brain.
Here are the three major parts of the ears and their functions:
1.

The outer ear - it is the part of the ear which can be seen. It is
responsible with collecting sounds from the environment and sending them
towards the other parts of the ears. The outer ear also protects the inner
ear from outside damage. It consist of;
2.
The ear flap or pinna - this is the entrance for the sound waves.
3.
The ear canal or meatus - it has a length of 2 cm and it guides the
sound towards the inner ear. This is also where glands which release ear
wax are positioned.
4.
The middle ear - just like its name suggests, it is located in between
the other two parts of the ears. It is a cavity filled with air which converts
sound waves into pressure waves with the help of its three parts:
5.
The ear drum or the tympanic membrane - it is a delicate membrane
which separates the outer ear from the middle ear. When sound reaches it,
it turns into mechanical energy.
6.
The hammer or the malleus - it is one of the three bones located next
to the ear drum and it vibrates when sound reaches it.
7.
The anvil or incus - it is another tiny bone which vibrates in response
to the previous vibration.
8.
The stirrup or the stapes - it is the last bone which receives the
vibration from the other two and sends it into the inner ear.
9.
The inner ear - the last part of the ear is filled with a watery
substance. It is made of three parts which are involved both in the hearing
process and in maintaining equilibrium.
10.
The cochlea - it is a spiral shaped tube which can have 3 cm in length
when stretched. It is covered in small hairs which contain nervous cells.
These cells react differently depending on the vibration they perceive and
turn vibration into electrical impulses which are sent to the brain.

11.
Semi-circular canals - they are connected with the cochlea and are
filled with fluid. Their role is to help the body maintain balance.
12.
The auditory nerve - it picks up electric impulses from the nerve cells
on the cochlea and sends them to the brain.
Any injury or malfunctioning in one of the parts of the ears can lead to
hearing problems.

Sense of Taste
The human tongue
Function:
The tongue is a muscular organ in the
mouth. The tongue is covered with
moist, pink tissue called mucosa. Tiny
bumps called papillae give the tongue
its rough texture. Thousands of taste
buds cover the surfaces of the
papillae. Taste buds are collections of
nerve-like cells that connect to nerves
running into the brain.
The tongue is anchored to the mouth
by webs of tough tissue and mucosa.
The tether holding down the front of
the tongue is called the frenum. In the
back of the mouth, the tongue is
anchored into the hyoid bone. The tongue is vital for chewing and swallowing
food, as well as for speech.
The four common tastes are sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. A fifth taste, called
umami, results from tasting glutamate (present in MSG). The tongue has
many nerves that help detect and transmit taste signals to the brain.
Because of this, all parts of the tongue can detect these four common tastes;
the commonly described taste map of the tongue doesnt really exists.

Sense of Touch
The human skin

Function:
the
the
cold.
Skin

The skin is the largest organ of

body, with a total area of
about 20 square feet. The skin
protects us from microbes and
elements, helps regulate body
temperature, and permits the
sensations of touch, heat, and
has three layers:

The epidermis, the outermost

layer of skin, provides a
waterproof barrier and creates our skin tone.

The dermis, beneath the epidermis, contains tough connective tissue,

hair follicles, and sweat glands.

The deeper subcutaneous tissue (hypodermis) is made of fat and

connective tissue.

The skins color is created by special cells called melanocytes, which produce
the pigment melanin. Melanocytes are located in the epidermis.
(webmd.com)