THE DEFENCE
SYSTEM
Around 250 years ago, scientists discovered, after the invention of microscope,
that we live together with many tiny creatures, which we cannot see with
the naked eye. These creatures are present everywhere - from the air we
inhale, to the water we drink, to any object which comes in contact with
the surface of our body. It was also discovered that these creatures penetrate
the human body.
Although the existence of this enemy was discovered two and a half centuries
ago, most of the secrets of the "defence system" that fights a vigorous
war against it have not yet been uncovered. This molecular system in the
body is activated automatically according to an exquisite plan the minute
a stranger makes its way in, declaring an all-out war against it. When
we take a quick look at how the system works, we see that every phase
takes place according to a meticulous plan.
The System That Never Sleeps
Whether we are aware of it or not, millions of operations and reactions
take place in our bodies every second. This action continues even when
we are asleep.
This intense activity occurs in periods of time which from our viewpoint
are very short. There is a significant difference between the notion of
time in our daily lives and the biological time of our body. The span
of one second that represents a very short time period in our daily life
would pass for a very long time for many working systems and organs in
our bodies. If all the activities performed by all the organs, tissues
and cells of our body in one second were written down, the result would
be so inconceivable as to push the limits of the human mind.
One vital system, which is involved in constant activity, never shirking
its duty, is the defence system. This system protects the body from all
kinds of invaders day and night and works with great assiduity, just like
a fully-equipped army for the host body, which it serves.
Each system, organ, or group of cells within the body represents a whole
within a perfect labour distribution. Any defect in the system ruins the
order. And the defence system is indispensable.
Would we be able to survive in the absence of the defence system? Or
what sort of life would we have if this system failed to fulfill some
of its functions?
It is not hard to make a guess. Some examples in the world of medicine
make clear how vital the immune system is. The story of a patient cited
in many related sources shows how difficult life would be in case of any
defect in the defence system.
 THE
SOLDIERS OF THE BODY
Within a lymph nodea battle rages between the body's attackers and
defenders. When bacteria pour through a lymphatic channel (1),
a macrophage engulfs some of the invaders (2), digests them, and
displays their identity markers on its own surface. This chemical
message is presented to a type of white blood cell known as a helper
T cell (3), which responds by multiplying (4) and releasing chemical
messages that call more defenders to arms (5). Other T cells signal
B cells to join the battle (6). Some B cells begin to reproduce
(7), and these new cells store information to help the body fight
the same invader on another day (8). Other B cells spew out thousands
of antibodies each second (9), forcing bacteria to clump together
(10). Macrophages can then sweep through, swallowing the clumped
bacteria, while special protein molecules and antibodies make bacteria
palable for macrophages (11). Sometimes, the proteins kill bacteria
directly by puncturing their cell walls (12). Scavenging macrophages
then clean the entire node of battle debris, engulfing scattered
antibodies, dead bacteria, and other debris until the infection
subsides.
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his patient was placed immediately after his birth in a sterile plastic
tent, which nothing was allowed to penetrate. The patient was forbidden
to touch any other human being. As he grew up, he was placed in a larger
plastic tent. He had to wear a specially designed outfit similar to an
astronaut's to get out of this tent. What prevented this patient from
living a normal life like other people?
Following his birth, the patient's defence system had not developed normally.
There was no army in his body to protect him from the enemies.
The boy's doctors were well aware of what could happen if he entered
normal surroundings. He would immediately catch a cold, causing diseases
to develop in his throat; he would suffer from one infection after another,
despite being given antibiotics and other medical treatments. Before long,
medical treatment would lose its effect, resulting in the death of the
boy.
The boy in a bubble. Born in 1971 with no
immune defences, he was delivered in a germfree environment at a
hospital but his death could not be prevented. |
At best, he would be able to live only for a few months or a few years
out of this safe environment. So the boy's entire world was forever bounded
by the walls of his plastic tent.
After sometime, the doctors and his family placed the
boy in a completely germfree room which had been specially prepared in
his house. However, all these efforts were useless. In his early teens,
when a bone transplant failed. 1
The boy's family, doctors, the staff of the hospital where he had earlier
stayed, and pharmaceutical companies did their best to keep him alive.
Although absolutely everything was tried, and the boy's place of residence
was continuously disinfected, his death could not be prevented.
This end clearly shows that it is impossible for a human being to survive
without a defence system to protect him from microbes. This is evidence
that the immune system must have existed complete and intact since the
advent of the first man. Therefore, it is out of question that such a
system could have developed gradually over a long lapse of time as the
theory of evolution claims. A human being without a defence system, or
with a malfunctioning one, would shortly die as seen in this example.
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