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Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Our Dear Friend Ralph


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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