2) The Quran on Nerve Endings in Skin:
The epidermis is the outside layer of your skin....the dermis is the inside layer of skin. The skin, all 6-10 lb. (~3-4 kg) and 20 square feet in an adult, is a giant, washable, stretchable, tough, water-proof sensory apparatus covering your whole body. It keeps your insides in.
Modern science has discovered that the skin contains sensory nerve endings which interpret the external environment. The following are examples of the different types of sensory nerve endings found in skin:
Skin Receptors
|
Receptor Ending |
Nerve Fibre |
Function |
Location |
|
|
A-beta |
Responds to hair displacement |
Wraps around hair follicle in hairy skin |
|
|
A-beta |
Responds to pressure on skin |
Dermis of both hairy and glabrous skin |
|
|
A-beta |
Responds to pressure |
Lip, tongue, and genitals |
|
|
A-beta |
Responds to vibration. Most sensitive in 150-300 Hz range |
Deep layers of dermis in both hairy and glabrous skin |
|
|
A-beta |
Responds to vibration. Most sensitive in 20-40 Hz range |
Dermis of glabrous skin |
|
|
A-delta and C |
Different types of free nerve endings that respond to mechanical, thermal or noxious stimulation |
Various types are found throughout the skin |
|
Merkel Cells |
A-beta |
Responds to pressure of the skin |
Epidermis of glabrous skin |
The Quran refers to the existence of sensory nerve endings in the skin in the following verse (56 of chapter 4):
"Lo! Those who disbelieve Our revelations, We shall expose them to the fire. As often as their skins are consumed We shall exchange them for fresh skins that they may taste the torment. Lo! Allah is ever Mighty, Wise."
Because sensing pain is at the skin, the doomed disbelievers will get fresh skin for their burnt out skin, that they may continuously feel the pain without reaching a stage where the nerves are completely destroyed.
Next: The Quran on the Cerebrum
