By Dr. Willie Ong
What is the largest muscle in the human body?
Our muscles account for 35 to 40% of the human body. The largest muscle in the body is the buttock muscle or gluteus maximus, whose function is to extend the thigh.
What is the most active muscle of the body?
Sorry guy, it’s not the muscle that you’re thinking about. Our most active muscles are the eye muscles which move 100,000 times in a day! The eye muscles are also moving when we are asleep and dreaming. It’s called REM sleep for rapid eye movement.
What is the longest bone?
The longest bone in the body is the thighbone or femur which constitutes 28% of a person’s total height. A newborn has 300 bones whereas adults have only 206 bones. This is because many bones have fused as we grow older.
What is the largest internal organ?
Our largest organ is the liver, which performs up to 100 bodily functions. It’s function is to make us “live” hence the name. It’s located behind our right lower ribs and can measure up to 9 inches long and 4 inches wide.
What is the heaviest recorded weight of a person?
The heaviest man in medical history was the American Jon Brower Minnoch, who weighed 974 pounds (442 kg) in September 1976. Two years later, he was admitted to University Hospital in Seattle, for congestive heart failure due to his obesity. His endocrinologist Dr. Robert Schwartz estimated his body weight to be 1,399 pounds, with much of the additional weight due to water accumulation from his bad heart.
What is the highest recorded blood sugar level?
The normal blood sugar level is 80 to 105 mg/dl. A two-year-old patient survived an astounding blood sugar level of 2,495 mg/dl (139 mmol/liter). She was admitted and treated at a community hospital in Virginia, U.S.A. for diabetic ketoacidosis.
Who is the oldest patient to have undergone surgery?
James Henry Brett, Jr. underwent a hip operation at the age of 111 years and 105 days.
Who is the tallest person?
The tallest living person is Radhouane Charbib from Tunisia. He was confirmed to be 7 feet 8.9 inches. The tallest woman died on February 13, 1982. She was Zeng Jinlian from China and measured 8 feet 1.75 inches tall.
The tallest man ever is Robert Pershing Wadlow who was 8 feet and 11.1 inches tall. His clothes required 3 times as much cloth as the average person and he wore a size 37 shoes. His brother Harold relates that Robert “had to duck to go through all doorways. No room on a bus, on a train, no seats, and no airplane – everything was made for a person six feet tall or under.” Robert died at age 22 from a foot infection due to poor circulation in his legs.
Who is the shortest person?
The shortest adult man is Gul Mohammed from India, who is 22.5 inches (57 cm.) tall. The shortest woman is Madge Bester of South Africa at 25.5 inches tall.
What is the most common infectious disease?
The common cold afflicts anyone and everyone. There are at least 40 different kinds of cold viruses that can infect humans. We usually get 3 bouts of colds per year.
What is the leading cause of death worldwide?
Fifty years ago, the leading cause of death was infectious diseases, like pneumonia and tuberculosis. Now, the leading cause of mortality is cardiovascular diseases, including heart attacks and strokes. By 2010, experts believe that cancer will overtake heart diseases as the number one cause of death.
What is the rarest blood type?
Using the ABO system, blood type AB is the rarest with only 1-2% of the population having this blood type. The most common blood group, found in 46% of people, is type O. Blood type O also called the universal donor. And can be used for blood transfusion in emergency situations.
What is the largest artery?
The largest artery is the aorta, which measures around 3 centimeters in diameter. This is the artery that was repaired in the First Gentleman’s illness, called dissecting aortic aneurysm.
What is the longest memory of a cell?
A type of white blood cell, called the lymphocytes, are part of the body’s defense system. Once they encounter an enemy bacteria, the lymphocytes will remember them for life, through successive generations of lymphocytes produced.
Who is the youngest doctor?
Dr. Balamurali Ambati became the youngest physician in history, when he graduated from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City on May 19, 1995, at the age of 17.
What is the fastest way to die?
During a heart attack, the heart rhythm can suddenly become abnormal and stop abruptly. A person could die in seconds. Note that proper resuscitation can revive the heart again within 15 minutes. So unless you know how to give CPR, drive fast to the nearest hospital.
The following health trivia come from Dr. Arthur Del Rosario and Dr. Rolour Garcia.
Did you know that…
- Ketchup was sold as medicine in the 1830’s.
- Celery has negative calories. It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with.
- Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying.
- Balsamic vinegar had its origin in 1602, where two brothers of the Vinegar Clan, Balsa and Mick, dueled to their deaths. Their grieving mother Violetta Vinegar, who was pressing a new grape from their vineyard, named it in their memory – BALSA-MICK vinegar.
- Astronauts are not allowed to eat beans before they go into space because passing wind in a space suit damages it.
- By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you can’t sink in quicksand.
- Dentists recommend keeping your toothbrush at least 6 feet away from the toilet. This is because flushing can spread feces via airborne “dirty” particles. Put down the toilet seat when flushing or flush slowly.
- It’s impossible to lick your elbow. (Ok there, I saw you try that!)
