A Load Of Old Cobblers

The regular instalments of People Are Funny take a break, as the next couple of posts sweep up a few miscellaneous bits and pieces. 

The first of which whilst attempting to de-bunk a few urban myths, succeeds only in adding to the load of old cobblers it was railing against......

A Load Of Cobblers 

Here's a few old wives tales that, while they are trotted out by the average person as the gospel truth, have been proven to be nothing but myth or superstition.

Rubber footwear draws the feet

The body loses a couple of pints of liquid daily through 'insensible perspiration' but it is not noticed because it evaporates from the entire surface of the skin as it appears. However as rubber shoes or boots are waterproof, they prevent this evaporation and the skin of the feet feel moister than usual whereas leather footwear can breathe and do not hold the moisture.

Carrots help you see in the dark

Carrots contain a substance called carotene, which is converted by the body into vitamin A, which aids the formation of visual purple, a pigment in the retina of the eye, which is essential for good vision in poor light. But it does not enable a person to see in total darkness. Vitamin A is provided by a balanced diet, as is present in milk, butter and green vegetables, and there is no need to eat carrots to guard against night blindness.

Hair and nails grow after death

The only way the growth of human tissue can take place is by cell multiplication, and the only way that can occur is for the cells to receive a plentiful supply of oxygen. When the heart and lungs cease to function at death, the body no longer receives oxygen and cellular activity ceases.

Fright can turn a person's hair white overnight

Hair can begin to suddenly grow white but it is a gradual process. Hair grows from the roots by continual cell multiplication, but what emerges on the surface is actually dead. No external or internal influence can affect the colour of hair which has already grown. As hair grows about 1.5 inches a month it would take many weeks for a head of hair to turn white.

Eyes can be removed and replaced without harm

Stories are frequently being told of eyes being popped out, lain on the cheek, washed and put back without damaging them. As the eye is held in place by six muscles and further anchored by the very delicate optic nerve, to remove one without damaging the patient would be as impossible as unscrewing his head.

Bulls are maddened by red rage

Research has shown that bulls, as most mammals, apart from monkeys and man, are colourblind, matadors usually use red cloaks (probably because they do not show bloodstains), but they also use cloaks of many other colours which maddens the bull to the same extent. It is the movement of the cloak which makes the bull angry.

Your life passes before you at the moment of death

There cannot be any evidence to support this belief as anyone who had experienced this phenomenon 'at the moment of death' must have died a moment later. Who else but that person would know.