EndocrineEndoCochlearPotentialElectronChainTransport

Summer has well and truly begun and Shimoga feels like an inferno. (Especially since we're nearly always forced into sweltering uniforms and aprons and made to sit in a classroom that is akin to a furnace and yet adorned with ornamental ACs)

Sitting in class has sadly become a herculean challenge. What with the soaring temperatures, the babble of bullshit, the cacaphony of idle chatter emanating from the bench behind and even the lecturer's suggestion that uninterested students may sleep or quietly do as they please, listening to the lecture seems to have become thing of rarity. Rare but not extinct, because there are some who make you hang on to every word, scribble every point furiously and listen wih rapt attention because they seem so eager to share their knowledge.

Head and neck is the final installment of gross anatomy for the year and and as usual we are galloping at a pace that can be matched only through burning the midnight oil. So far, we read about the scalp and its layers, the face and the muscles of expression, triangles of the neck and the vertebral canal. Next, I've got to read about cranial cavity and the cavernous sinus.

Physiology is steadily growing more expansive and requires much more understanding for permanent retention of concepts. Chetan Sir is regularly quizzing me on anything and everything in the book and this is a blessing in disguise, I suppose. We read about the sense organs and the pathways taken by these.

The visual pathway is particularly interesting. It begins in the bipolar cells which are the first order neurons, travel through optic nerve, optic chiasma and the cells of lateral geniculate body form the third order neurons. From here, fibres are mainly relayed to the visual cortex, but also to suprachiasmatic nucleus, pretectal nucleus and superior colliculus which help in interpretation, perception and light reflexes of the eye. Its also important to understand how a lesion anywhere along this pathway affects the vision in both eyes.

They also skimmed through the endocrine glands and now we're hurrying through reproductive system. Hormones are chemical messengers that bring about any physiological changes. What's noteworthy is how hormones are interrelated because they regulate secretion of the hormones released at their target sites and vice versa. The Growth Hormone for example is a peptide released by the acidophill cells of Anterior Pituitary and this occurs because of secretion of GHRH from the hypothalamus which acts on Anterior Pituitary to secrete its hormone..

Amma was here for the weekend. I enjoyed every minute of it and I realized I miss her more than I have ever acknowleged. I miss the healthy banter that we used to have back in Bangalore. I suppose I've got to wait for the long holidays post the Finals to enjoy quality time with family.

College is otherwise good. The seniors who cleared the recent exams are back and the college looks alive to some extent. I actually enjoy each day because there is something to look forward to and always something that will end up making me happy.