How we get new bodies every five years
The Sunday Nation
Nairobi,
03 October 2010
C. N. Muiga wonders why the Power Company usually carries out repairs after 5.00pm. He says: “I have observed that every time I report a power failure/breakdown or fault, they attend to the problem late in the evenings. Does it have to do with overtime pays? If that’s the case who is the main loser, Consumer or the company putting all into consideration?”
I don’t have answer to that, but my observation is quite different. Most times I notice power failures while at home in the evening and when I report them, they are fixed the same night – often within 30 minutes.
On the few occasions that I have reported faults at daytime, they have also been fixed within 30 minutes. However, if it is true that the technicians generally wait till evening to fix the power failures, then the over-time paid eventually comes to the consumer. Remember, the house never loses.
Muiga’s second question is on the indelible ink used during the recent referendum and by-elections. He says that he still has the mark on his finger and wonders whether this signifies the growth rate of a person. “If so does that means all other body parts /organs grow at that rate?”
As at the time of writing this, mine had advanced by about 8mm and still has another 3mm before “dropping off” completely. Since we voted on August 4th, I can now get a rough idea of the growth rate of my nails.
It has taken 57 days for the nail on my small on the left hand to grow 8mm. That works to about one millimetre per week. Does this mean that the rest of my body is also growing at this rate?
The straight answer is no. If that were true and considering my age, I’d be over 2m tall. But I am only 1.76m; a height that I reached over 25 years ago!
Furthermore, after voting on 4th August, I noticed that the indelible ink advanced forward quite fast in the early days and then slowed down as it approached the leading edge of the nail. Thus the one millimetre per week is an average over the last two months – different parts of the nail grow at different rates
Nevertheless, there is an element of truth in the statement that our bodies are continuously growing. But the growth doesn’t necessarily make us any bigger or taller than we are. The reason is that we shed off the excess body parts – some we cut away intentionally (like nails and hair), while others fall off on their own.
It will probably take another one month before the indelible ink clears from my nail and at that point I will be quite certain that I get a completely new set of nails every three months.
The skin also grows gradually and falls off the surface on its own. It takes about 28 days to completely replenish the old skin. No wonder skincare products recommend usage for one month before you can see their effects.
All other parts of the body also grow and replenish at different rates. I once heard a doctor saying that we get a completely new body every five years. It gives a new meaning to saying that “you are what you eat”.
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