Homeostasis in the Human BodyThis exercise was designed to show how the human body strives for Homeostasis. Homeostasis can be defined as maintaining the internal environment within certain physiological limits. Homeostasis is maintained by the coordinated activities of many organs and systems of the body. This exercise will also show the location of some of the stimulus receptors in the body.My hypothesis for this exercise is that by manipulating stimulus, we will be able to observe the body's reaction to maintain Homeostasis.The procedure used for reflexes was as follows:I had my assistant stand in front of a window. Then, from the other side of the window, I threw crumpled up paper at ...view middle of the document...
I used a cotton swab and applied the solutions to the tip, the sides, the center, and the back of my assistant's tongue. I then wrote my name as many times as I could with my right hand and then as many times as I could with my left hand.The following equipment was used for this exercise:WindowMirrorCork2 PinsThermometerAspirinLemonVinegar10% Solution of sodium chloride5% Solution of table sugarCotton SwabsMillimeter RulerSmall ContainersCrumpled NewspaperFor my reflex exercise, I noticed that when I threw the crumpled paper at my assistant, she squinted her eyes and turned her face away. I believe this was done in response to protect the eyes and face. This seemed to be an involuntary reaction requiring no conscious thought. When covering my right or left eye in a well lit room and then observing the pupil when the eye was uncovered, I noticed that initially the pupil was quite large then got smaller very quickly. I believe this happens to allow the same amount of light to pass through each eye. For example, in darkness, the pupils enlarge to allow more light to pass. This was the case when standing in a dark room and the light was turned on. This did not require conscious thought. I then had my assistant slice a lemon while I watched. I noticed my mouth started to water the minute the lemon was cut. When one of my assistants pinched the skin on the back of the neck of the other, I noticed the person getting pinched squinting their eyes and stiffing up. With my assistant sitting in a chair with her legs crossed, I struck a blow just below the patella bone. Her leg kicked out as if trying to straighten.For the reception of stimuli by sense organs, I noticed that when the pins were 5mm apart from each other and the pin points were touched to the palm of my hand, it felt like one point. I had the same sensation when the points were touched to my forearm. When the pin points were touched to my finger tip, I could feel two points. When the pins were placed 10mm apart, I could feel two points in all three areas. This exercise proved that receptors are grouped more closely together on my finger tip than my palm of forearm. When I immersed a fin...
