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| IS MILK AN ORGAN? |
That’s a strange title for anything for that matter—but what
if someone’s questions keep floating in your head, what if there’s no respite
from them!
So, last night, in my sleep I saw a banner which read “IS
MILK AN ORGAN”. I clearly remember it was written in red with a white
background.
What lead to this is another story I couldn’t stop myself
from narrating to the world and my compulsive desire to keep it in a blog so
that it stays forever--what if my kids ask me the same question 7-8 years from
now.
Long story short
How you imagine a Sunday with a good old friend?
It’s good and old because we are qualified to discuss any
mess in this world, we can nicely take each other for granted, you talk- don’t
talk the connection never breaks.
Before I start ripping him off, I wish to acknowledge the fact that I know of
what I know when it comes to the latest IT advancements because of him-with all
due credits. I would have not been able to survive in this world of technology had
my nerd friend not been around.
Sorry for the divergence-so the Sunday plan with this friend
was to catch up for a lunch. I very unlike myself reached dot on time, he didn’t
show up. And in no time the agreed upon meeting time changed—moreover the place
changed.
Anybody doing that to me would have got themselves killed,
but there’s nothing much I could do here.
Since I was supposed to treat him, could notice that unusual
glow on his face. He was more at ease- was the first one to order—well, if you
are on the treating side, you notice the gestures nicely.
After we ordered came the regular question—
So, how’s life?
Now, there’s a difference when a friend asks you how’s life and when a good old friend
asks you how’s life.
With a friend, the answer is- It’s good, couldn’t be
awesome!!
With a good old friend it’s a conversation starter- it means
tell me everything that’s going on lately with no pretentions.
He shared his bit, I shared mine but he stole my thunder
with his revelation for sure.
After that we both went to a bookstore.
There’s nothing as fancy as a good bookstore, I guess for
both of us!
I’m certainly not dwindling from the topic of how “Milk is
an Organ” came into picture.
I’m just very close to that moment which shatters all your
scientific beliefs.
So, I and my dear friend got into a small chat.
He has a special
interest in biological sciences. By that
I mean that he was amongst those students who never wanted to know the
difference between mitosis and meiosis, who would always be asked to stand
outside the class by their biology teacher. In short, he not knows anything
about it.
But a mind wanders, you can’t stop that, a thinker will
think and though his software logic is ten on ten, the logic of life science is
a mere one.
A leap into the past
My friend had a query on cannibalism last time we met and I
remember he showered some questions on me. That was one heavy shower- I’m still
not out of the flood (exaggerating).
Questions
- What is cannibalism?
I told him the definition but as a
proof searched it down and this was it “one individual of a species consuming
all or part of another individual of the same species as food, including sexual
cannibalism”.
His next question,
2. Is shark eating fish cannibalism?
No, it’s not love, I replied.
3. Is any fish eating any fish cannibalism?
And my head starts spinning from here, I had
answers, I knew I was right but at times it's difficult to give a valid explanation. I didn't have one that very moment.
I could half convince him on what is cannibalism. I do not mean
to demoralize his inquisitiveness, I so appreciate it, but I realized I’ll lose
what I know if I would start this interrogation.
Let's come back to the bookstore.
We were having a small laugh on his last time conversation
and he says, “You won’t believe but I have another query”!
I wasn’t startled; I knew it would be something that would
blow my mind away.
And he asked,
“IS MILK AN ORGAN”?
Holy cows, I remember just looking at him for 5 seconds.
“No, it’s not. A gland produces it. It better be not an
organ”, I replied.
Hmm, I guess he got me, comes another one.
“Ok, tell me, is eating your own hair cannibalism?”
No, it’s not.
But, how can it not be, the definition itself says that
eating a part of your own body is cannibalism.
Well, that had some point but I just left it there and then.
I knew it was not cannibalism just like the fact that MILK is not an ORGAN.
I promised him I would search for a valid answer with
references and I thanked him for the fact that he always had interest in the
field of IT.
I thank God that he
never became a biologist because if he would have:
- Human male chromosome would have been renamed
from XY to YY
- Mitosis/Meiosis would have had a spin
- Cell cycle would have been questioned till
eternity
Like they say,
Some things just happen for good.
It surely does!
Oh, and the answer that I promised him here it goes:
Eating one’s own hair/nails is not cannibalism. Fingernail-biting
that develops into fingernail-eating is a form of pica (which means an appetite
for substances largely non-nutritive may include dead vestial body parts). Other
forms of pica include the compulsion of eating one's own hair, which can form a
hairball in the stomach.
PS-It’s a question answer session I’ll always remember.
