Men and women are different.
Shocking, isn't it? I have recently been spending some time in the anatomy lab examining cadaveric specimens and I have been struck, once again, at the anatomical differences between men and women. I am not referring to the obvious external differences in reproductive organs, height or body hair either. The muscles of men are obviously thicker, and longer, and even the muscle fascicula (bundles of muscle fibers) of men are visibly larger in girth. Combined with the greater force available via the longer lever arms associated with longer limbs on average, is it any wonder that men are so much stronger than women?
The other difference I noticed was the variation in subcutaneous fat between men and women. Women have an obviously thicker layer of the fat that lies directly below the skin (I am not referring to general body fat, just to the layer of fat that is sort of attached to the skin). It is what makes women's bodies generally more rounded and less angular than men's.
So, yes, men and women are different on the inside as well as the outside.
The generous people who donate their bodies so that those of us in medical professions can learn about anatomy come in all different shapes and sizes. And, sadly, different ages. The specimens currently in the lab ranged in age from early 30s to 80s at the times of their deaths. The youngest was a woman who died from cancer when she was 31 years old. 31 years old.
This week I also attended the funeral of an elderly family member. During the service one of the thoughts that ran through my mind was this, life is short. Whether you die when you are 31 or 88, life is short. Make the most of it. Take some chances and live.
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14 comments:
Jesus said "be ready". We'll never know when our time comes, just that eventually the conveyor belt of life will drop us onto the floor.
Cadavers? Ick. I've seen enough dead and mauled/maimed bodies in my life to take a pass.
death is an ever present theme in our lives this year. yes, life is short.
If you make a statement that's obvious fact and easily verified by plain science but is disapproved of by the ruling elite, is it still true? I mean, if we try hard enough to pretend it's not true then it won't be, right?
I've never seen a (whole) dead body nor a badly maimed one in person, but I'll still take a pass.
Those of us who have had the odd blessing of having been in a car accident in our young adult years have learned this already. Life is indeed precious.
And, in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, being hit on by the guy in the other vehicle... yes, men and women are very different.
I wrote my "vapor" post at singlextianman last night, before seeing this. Yes. Very true. Often when this is presented in fellowship the implied corollary notion is something like "therefore, do this...."
Methinks a better posture is simply to live in two planes at once.
One of the reasons those muscles form differently is because of the blessing of testosterone. Which gives now the idea for a posting... the "blessing of testosterone" as a way of countering ideas like "testosterone poisoning" - a phrase I have even heard come from the lips of a Christian sister. Or two.
EW,
Seeing cadavers isn't really like seeing a person recently killed/maimed/mauled. It is much less gory.
Ame,
Every now and then it is good to be reminded of our mortality and the bervity of life.
Jesse,
"I mean, if we try hard enough to pretend it's not true then it won't be, right?"
Ha! That right there is the description of many of the movements (socialism, feminism, atheism) sending our society down the drain.
The Librarian,
:) Yep.
SXM,
For me it was a good reminder to not allow my fears to keep me from living.
Ah, yes, testosterone. I wonder if the sisters you refer to would acknowledge "estrogen poisining"?
really cool post. singlextianman posted to remember that life is a vapor.
Thanks Savvy
Then there are our brain differences! Men construct spatial maps in our heads, where things are located. Women construct social maps, where the relationships are. I saw this with my 6 year old Lauren.
We were watching a video of their kindergarten graduation, something months in the past when we watched it. My wife asked where someone was, and Lauren described where most of the three class members were in all three classes. She could also say who was mad at who and who liked who. It was amazing to me and the boys, like magic tricks in Greek.
Trey
Trey,
The brain differences in many ways are even more striking than the physical differences, aren't they?
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