Did you know that...

The first blood transfusion was performed by Cornish
physician Richard Lower in 1665. Using hollow quills, Dr.
Lower pumped blood from one dog into another. Years later
another physician, Jean-Babtiste Denis, became the first
to transfer blood from an animal to a human.

The liver is found only in vertebrates and is the body’s
largest gland. It is also the body’s own chemical plant;
carrying on a dozen important metabolic functions as well.

Phineas Gage became renowned when he had a metal bar go
through his head and he survived. However, his personality
changed. A man who was once content and considerate, became
a man who was moody and foul-mouthed. His injury paved the
way for an understanding into how the frontal lobe affected
personality.

People with the rare condition called “synesthesia” not
only taste colors, but see words and feel flavors. Each
person is unique in how they perceive the world; some smell
colors or taste shapes, while others associate colors with
sound, perceiving each note as a different hue. The
condition has been linked to less blood flow to those parts
of the brain that receive sensory stimulation.

The ancient Greek physicians maintained that the balance of
the humors, controlled a person’s temperament. The blood
(sanguis), made a person cheerful; phlegm (pituita), meant
slow moving; Yellow bile (chole), made one hot tempered;
black bile (melanchole), caused depression. If any of the
four humors were out of balance, it reflected on the body
and mind as a whole.

After being shot in the abdomen, Alexis St. Martin was
treated, but the hole did not heal or close. To keep the
contents from oozing out, the wound had to be stuffed with
a cotton cloth. He allowed his surgeon, William Beaumont,
to do experiments using samples of his stomach contents.
The experiments helped in identifying the stomach acid
(hydrochloric acid), and to study the stomach’s movements.

Pretty interesting...
(from here)