Touch, Taste and Smell

How does the sense of touch protect the body from injury?

                    Your skin continuously passes huge amounts of information to the brain. It monitors touch, pain, temperature and other factors that tell the brain exactly how the body is being affected by its environment. Without this constant flow of information, you would keep injuring yourself accidentally, which is what happens in some rare diseases where the skin senses are lost.

                    Sensations in the skin are measured by tiny receptors at the ends of nerve fibres. There are several different types of receptor. Each type can detect only one kind of sensation, such as pain, temperature, pressure, touch and so on.

 

 

Why are some parts of the body more sensitive than others?

Receptors are grouped together according to the importance of their function. There are large numbers of receptors in the hands and the lips, for example, where the sensation of touch is very important. Receptors are present in much smaller numbers over other parts of the body, which are less sensitive to touch, for example, on the back.

Pictures Credit: Google