Word: toe
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...comes in a thousand shades, from vivid reds to somber browns. There is the quick, flashing smart of a ringer scorched by a flame or the grinding torment of the dentist's drill striking close to a nerve. We all know the dull throb of a stubbed toe that sends us hippity-hopping from foot to foot in search of distraction. And many have felt the pain that cuts deeper: the gut-clutching agony that we awaken to after surgery...
Most refinements of this understanding have come about in the past 20 years. Today scientists have a fair idea of what happens physiologically when, for example, the big toe collides with a large, solid object. Not surprisingly, the pain message originates at the point of contact (see diagram). It begins with the release of a number of potent chemicals that are normally stored in or near nerve endings for use on just such clumsy occasions. Among these chemicals are the mysterious substance P (for pain), prostaglandins and bradykinin, probably the most painful substance known to man-just a tiny amount...
...pain signal from the stubbing of the toe travels as an electrochemical impulse along the length of the nerve to the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, a region that runs the length of the spine and receives signals from all over the body. In a tall person, the distance from toe to dorsal horn may be more than one meter, and it can take about two seconds for the message to arrive. From there, it is relayed in a bewildering flurry of chemical messages to the brain, first to the thalamus, where sensations like heat, cold, pain and touch...
...tendency of the council last year was to pass resolutions on "political" issues--such as urging that Harvard divest from South Africa--often on no more information than a few hours of discussion. Conversely, this year's body tends to proceed with more caution and to toe the line on political issues. Says Council Vice Chair Brian R. Melendez '86, "Last year, we passed a resolution on it, this year we did a report...
...glittering costumes and the rotating mirrored sets, however, the extravagance at times seems almost embarrassing. The book is just too silly, and quite a few of the songs ring flat in the contemporary ear. Among the notable exceptions to this are some familiar hummable-or perhaps more appropriately, toe-tapping-numbers, including "We're in the Money," Lullaby of Broadway," Shuffle Off to Buffalo," and the title song...