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The Defence System
Around 250 years ago, scientists discovered,
after the invention of microscope, that we live together with many
tiny creatures, which we cannot see with the naked eye. These creatures
are present everywhere - from the air we inhale, to the water we
drink, to any object which comes in contact with the surface of
our body. It was also discovered that these creatures penetrate
the human body.
Although the existence of this enemy was discovered
two and a half centuries ago, most of the secrets of the "defence
system" that fights a vigorous war against it have not yet been
uncovered. This molecular system in the body is activated automatically
according to an exquisite plan the minute a stranger makes its way
in, declaring an all-out war against it. When we take a quick look
at how the system works, we see that every phase takes place according
to a meticulous plan.
The System That Never Sleeps
Whether we are aware of it or not, millions of operations
and reactions take place in our bodies every second. This action continues
even when we are asleep.
This intense activity occurs in periods of time
which from our viewpoint are very short. There is a significant
difference between the notion of time in our daily lives and the
biological time of our body. The span of one second that represents
a very short time period in our daily life would pass for a very
long time for many working systems and organs in our bodies. If
all the activities performed by all the organs, tissues and cells
of our body in one second were written down, the result would be
so inconceivable as to push the limits of the human mind.
One vital system, which is involved in constant
activity, never shirking its duty, is the defence system. This system
protects the body from all kinds of invaders day and night and works
with great assiduity, just like a fully-equipped army for the host
body, which it serves.
Each system, organ, or group of cells within the
body represents a whole within a perfect labour distribution. Any
defect in the system ruins the order. And the defence system is
indispensable.
Would we be able to survive in the absence of the
defence system? Or what sort of life would we have if this system
failed to fulfill some of its functions?
It is not hard to make a guess. Some examples in
the world of medicine make clear how vital the immune system is.
The story of a patient cited in many related sources shows how difficult
life would be in case of any defect in the defence system.
This patient was placed immediately after his birth
in a sterile plastic tent, which nothing was allowed to penetrate.
The patient was forbidden to touch any other human being. As he
grew up, he was placed in a larger plastic tent. He had to wear
a specially designed outfit similar to an astronaut's to get out
of this tent. What prevented this patient from living a normal life
like other people?

Following his birth, the patient's defence system
had not developed normally. There was no army in his body to protect
him from the enemies.
The boy's doctors were well aware of what could
happen if he entered normal surroundings. He would immediately catch
a cold, causing diseases to develop in his throat; he would suffer
from one infection after another, despite being given antibiotics
and other medical treatments. Before long, medical treatment would
lose its effect, resulting in the death of the boy.
At
best, he would be able to live only for a few months or a few years
out of this safe environment. So the boy's entire world was forever
bounded by the walls of his plastic tent.
After sometime, the doctors and
his family placed the boy in a completely germfree room which had
been specially prepared in his house. However, all these efforts
were useless. In his early teens, when a bone transplant failed.
1
The boy's family, doctors, the staff of the hospital
where he had earlier stayed, and pharmaceutical companies did their
best to keep him alive. Although absolutely everything was tried,
and the boy's place of residence was continuously disinfected, his
death could not be prevented.
This end clearly shows that it is impossible for
a human being to survive without a defence system to protect him
from microbes. This is evidence that the immune system must have
existed complete and intact since the advent of the first man. Therefore,
it is out of question that such a system could have developed gradually
over a long lapse of time as the theory of evolution claims. A human
being without a defence system, or with a malfunctioning one, would
shortly die as seen in this example.
1- Edward Edelson The Immune System, Chelsea
House Publisher, 1989, p. 13-14
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