I’m really glad humans puke. For that matter I’m grateful
that dogs, cats and any other animal that pukes – pukes.
Puke (or for those readers with a sensative stomach vomit or emesis) is by
no means pleasant bit it is purposeful and often times we don’t have any choice
in the matter. If you are throwing up it
means that your body senses that something is wrong and is taking drastic
action to quickly correct the situation.
There are many reasons the body travels down the road that
ends in a flush and a gargle. From self inflicted ailments like overeating and
other more toxic overindulgements to out of control sensory issues and even just
smelling the stuff, a life lived is a life with puke. Though just the thought isn’t pleasant and the mess is
never nice, puking is a pretty awesome process.
In order to heave the
junk from its guts our bodies go through a well choreographed ballet of neurochemically
induced physical responses. The vomiting center of the brain (yes there is a
vomiting center of the brain) is a circumventricular organ of the body which
allows it to directly sense concentrations of compounds in the bloodstream. Once
any one of a laundry list of triggering compounds stimulates the vomit center the
body sets itself into motion.
I recommend reading the Wikipedia page for a nice synopsis
of the various events that occur. I’ll say
that I’m glad that I don’t have to coordinate everything that needs to happen
for the equivalent of a Mac truck barreling the wrong way down a one way street
to happen.
I’m reminded of one of my favorite quotes from The Lives
of a Cell in which Lewis Thomas humbly exerts that, “For I am, to face the
facts squarely, considerably less intelligent than my liver.” I join Thomas in
that recognition and submit that the parts that make me puke be given similar respect.
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