Human Body

The nervous system is made up of the brain, the spinal cord and the
nerves. Nerves carry messages from the body organs and muscles to
the brain or spinal cord.

The nerves are of three kinds:

(i)

Sensory nerves that bring messages from the sense organs to the
brain or the spinal cord

(ii)

Motor nerves that carry orders from the brain

(iii)

Mixed nerves that carry messages to brain as well as bring orders

from the brain

The brain has three parts: cerebrum, cerebellum and medulla. The skull
protects the brain from many dangers. Brain controls our heartbeat and
breathing and directs every movement of the body.

The eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin are the five important sense
organs in our body. Optic nerves, that connect the eyes, carry visionary
messages to the brain. The ears help us to hear the sounds around us.

We smell different odours through our nose. Always use nasal drops or
inhale steam to clear blocked nose. The tongue detects the sense of
taste. Sweet, salty, sour and bitter are four senses of taste that we get
from our food. The skin forms a covering to protect the internal organs in
our body.

The frame that gives shape and support to the human body is called
skeleton. The skeleton consists of the skull, backbone and two pairs of
limbs. It is made up of 206 bones. When two bones join at a point it is
called a joint.

Human Body
There are for types of movable joints in our body. These are :
(i)

Hinge joint: It is like the hinges of a door. It allows movement in

one direction only. It is present in the knees, elbows, toes and
fingers.

(ii)

Ball and socket joint: In this type of joint, one end of the bone is
round like a ball. It fits into the hollow part (socket) of the other
bone. Ball and socket joint allows movement in all directions. For
example, round end of the humerous (bone of the upper arm) fits
into the cup-like socket of the shoulder bone.

(iii)

Pivot joint: The joint between two vertebrae is a pivot joint. It

allows our head to move sideways. The rounded end of one bone,
twisted around in a hole in the other.

(iv)

Gliding joint: In this joint, bones can slide over each other. It
allows side to side as well as backward and forward movements. It
is present in wrist and ankles.

The contraction and relaxation of the muscles move bones. There are
650 muscles in our body. There are three types of muscles in our body.
These are:
(i) Voluntary muscles: These muscles are under our control.
(ii) Involuntary muscles: These are not under our control.
(iii) Cardiac muscles: The muscles of the heart are cardiac muscles.
They are involuntary muscles.

Tough tissues by which the bones held together are called ligaments.
The strong fibres by which the muscles are attached to the bones are
called tendons.