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: 4: The Nervous System
General
The nervous system is the most highly developed communication system in the human body. It co-ordinates and controls the work of other systems (of the body) and through them controls the functions of the body as a whole. It makes possible a range of adaptive responses to changes in the environment. Such responses are central to the behaviour of all living organisms and are known as homeostatic responses. If the body were unable to adapt to extremes of heat or cold, the healthy functioning of the vital organs would be threatened. Recognition of stimuli, storage of information (memory), communication between the various parts of the body, and the extension of effective responses are functions of this system. That is why it is considered to be one of the two most important systems of the body. Its failure will result in total cessation of its activities, paralysis of all the organs and ultimate stoppage of minute vital processes. One would be unable to use one's muscles, unable to move one's hands, blink one's eyes, to sit or stand, even to breathe. The nervous system is intimately associated with the endocrine system, and both together co-ordinate the body's activities and integrate the organism.
The nervous system is made up of two parts: an outer or somatic system and an inner or visceral system. The former consists of the sense-organs, the muscles, bones and joints. The latter controls the internal organs such as the heart, glands, blood vessels and intestines. The activities of both are co-ordinated by the Central Nervous System (CNS).
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