Ch 5: Getting aHEAD

The brain is one of the most complex and fascinating organ in the human body. This chapter was quite difficult to understand,yet was intriguing. In the sub-title "The Inner Chaos of the Head", Shubin describes his experience of sawing through "the cheek, forehead, and cranium to see the vessels and organs" where he finds thousands of nerves, muscles, and bones in a "bewildering mess". He then breaks down the fundamental parts of the skull and their uses: plates, blocks, and rods. As he begins to describe the simple functions of the cranial nerves, my own brain began to be jumbled up particularly with the process four arches. But I did learn about how most embryos are developed in the same way, and this can be traced to a simple, yet disgusting worm. Once again, Shubin reiterates that certain parts of our bodies are not unique to just humans. But I think learning about how the brain comprehends and develops thoughts would be an interesting thing to attain.

Ian Tang