Il était une fois... la vie (1987–1988): Season 1, Episode 13 - La peau - full transcript
Is life, is life, that's life
Is life, is life, that's life
Sing the song of life
Every heartbeat's a miracle
Feel the rhythm growing
Day by day as we go
Look inside, your body's humming
With a million drums that are drumming
Fill your lungs, get ready
Celebrating the joy that's life
Is life, is life, that's life
Is life, is life, that's life
Is life, is life, that's life
The skin
is the protective wrapping
of the human body.
The first line of defense
against invasion by germs.
But the skin also helps the body
to breathe,
keep a stable temperature
and get rid of waste products.
It also serves as a radar antenna,
thanks to the millions of nerve endings
which send warning signaIs to the brain.
The skin is only one
or two millimeters thick,
and it has three layers.
It's shut! As usual.
We never get in, barring accidents.
Ground level:
this is the protective outer layer,
the epidermis.
We're about to see a sweat gland
go into action.
This is simply a bead of sweat.
l ask you! Who'd be a germ?
This is the first layer of the skin,
one quarter of a millimeter
under the surface.
Half a millimeter further down
we come to the basal layer,
where the epidermis is created.
-Won’t... you... stop... your...
-Pushing and shoving?
Excuse me, I am needed up there!
-Ah!
-What's all this?
We don't like line-jumpers here,
you know!
You will get there in the end!
Last one up's a rotten egg.
Who'd be a germ?
So, you see, it's impossible
to wear out the epidermis,
because every single cell in that layer is
replaced within twenty days.
Oops, sorry!
Come on, kids, get back to work.
You've almost reached the capillaries.
You can rest later, so get a move on!
They're waiting for the oxygen.
They're waiting for you too, Professor.
You may continue your guided tour
once you've made the delivery.
Good idea!
Hello, corpuscles!
Why can't we join them?
Would you look at that?
Move on, please,
you are causing a traffic jam!
It's quite disgusting, Lieutenant!
Just look at them, sunbathing, while we
workers are busy breaking our backs!
It's just not fair!
You're jumping to conclusions! The
melanocytes may look
as if they're not working.
But I can assure you that's not the case.
Absolutely, Lieutenant.
It's easy to criticize us,
if you don't know what our job is.
We lie here all day, filtering out
dangerous burning ultraviolet rays
from the sunlight,
with no thought for ourselves.
We protect the skin by turning
brown to create a suntan.
And we also manufacture vitamin D, which
is necessary for strong bones.
Who works harder than us?
Red corpuscles?
Let's go, children!
You are the cutest red corpuscle
l have ever seen...
Oh, go on!
Oh dear.
This is the second layer,
seven-tenths of a millimeter
under the surface.
We've left the epidermis,
and now we're in the dermis.
There's a lot going on here.
Just look at those nerve endings, there
are millions of them in the epidermis.
Is it the same all over, Professor?
My child, have you forgotten already?
l told you that the hands and the face
have the most nerve endings,
which makes them more sensitive
and more mobile than the other areas
of the skin.
Professor, what are those?
We are in an industrial park
where the sense of touch is processed,
as well as the sense of heat and cold.
That Meissner's corpuscle
near the epidermis
is a light-touch receptor,
as is that Merkel's disc there.
Right! Now let's go on!
Hold on tight,
it's only the arrector pili muscle.
Watch out!
Good heavens, Professor!
What just happened?
That was just a goosebump coming up
to warm the body up,
which proves it must be fairly nippy out
there today.
Come on, let me show you.
Heave-ho, heave-ho, heave-ho!
Heave-ho, heave-ho, heave-ho!
Look! He's perfectly harmless!
l pull the hair upright to warm the body,
and that's my calling in life.
l hope it doesn't upset you...
Because that's the way it has to be, see?
But the only thing I really don't like
about this work
is the job title.
I hate being the arrector pili.
But arrector means that you make hairs
stand on end – or erect.
That's all.
It's a sign of cold or emotion,
as in an animal when its hackles rise.
Humans get goosebumps instead
because they have tiny hairs.
l still don't like my name.
l want to be called a heating engineer.
Heating engineer muscle,
to be precise.
We are now in the middle of the dermis,
one millimeter below the surface.
Welcome to the gardens of Italy!
I love Italy... the warmth,
the colors, the music.
But before we enjoy the delights of Italy,
let's take a trip to frosty Germany!
It's freezing out here!
Krause's corpuscle: he's a cold sensor,
and
takes himself very seriously.
Still playing it cool, Krause?
Still making jokes, huh?
l am a hard-working corpuscle!
l didn't mean to offend you, Krause! We
all know how hard you work.
Just don't overdo it, that's all!
Hello, Prof! Are you still in harness?
Heavens, yes! An early retirement doesn't
appeal to me. Not at all...
-Hello, Hello, Hello!
-Metro! Still on the alert?
Yes, and it's far too boring
and quiet for my liking.
Come on, chaps, let's go!
Hello, Professor! How are you?
Well, I suppose I can't complain, not at
my age. And what are you up to?
Oh, the same old routine, you know,
the usual.
Don’t underestimate the human body: there
is always something unusual going on.
Bye, Prof! We'll bear that remark in mind.
Bye!
Professor, whenever you talk about Italy,
you get quite carried away.
Why is that?
Well, many parts of the skin were
discovered by Italian doctors,
as you shall shortly see.
It was Malpighi who discovered us 300
years ago and gave us our name,
the red corpuscles.
Other Italian explorers discovered
all sorts of corpuscles as beautiful as
flowers.
Ruffini,
Pacini and Golgi...
Yes, Prof!
Come on, then, this way to the
gardens of Italy.
Behold, children!
Ruffini, the heat sensor.
He is the exact opposite of frigid old
Krause.
Golgi corpuscles.
Their function is to detect gentle
pressure. Look! see how they respond?
They're gorgeous.
Absolutely gorgeous!
Ah, children, the best is yet to come.
We are now in the hypodermis,
two millimeters down from the surface.
Professor, what's that yellow stuff?
That is adipose tissue.
Or fat, to the uninitiated.
It forms a protective coating for
nerves and blood vessels,
it separates the skin from the muscles
beneath,
and it is also acts as
an emergency supply of energy
which is there when it's needed.
It also provides comfortable
padding to sit on,
and – alas – cellulite!
-What a gorgeous flower!
-That's Pacini,
which is sensitive to hard pressure.
Didn't I tell you it was beautiful?
Pity we can't watch it all day. Come!
Now that's a sweat gland.
Look, it is making a droplet
which will eventually evaporate
on the surface.
Those glands get rid of waste products
and keep the body cool.
There are about three million of them.
-Three million?
-Yes.
Now that's a hair. Wait...
lt is moving because it has come into
contact with something up there
on the surface.
I wonder what it could be.
Hmm...
-Something's going on outside.
-Isn't that just the arrector at work?
l am going to investigate.
It can't be the muscle.
He's in a state of complete relaxation.
Maybe the wind, then?
It's quite possible, Lieutenant.
The hairs are the vanguard of the skin.
No, Captain!
Look, Pacini has detected something.
This warrants a closer look.
Can you please let me pass?
Come on, let's keep things moving!
Is that a whole basket of grenades, Elsie?
Expecting trouble?
Help!
Thank you.
Alert! Zone B twenty-four!
Alert!
Something is trying to suck us all out
of the body! This is an emergency.
Captain, do you read me?
Metro, do you copy?
Receiving you loud and clear, Lieutenant!
Alright, let's go, men!
Filthy mosquito!
He's pumping in antigens.
Let's hope we get there in time!
Calling all antibodies with experience of
anopheles mosquito antigens!
Please report to Section B twenty-four
immediately.
I repeat: immediately.
That nerve is carrying a pain message,
Metro!
What's going on? Metro, do you read me?
Metro, what's going on?
I order you to reply.
I have got no time for explanations now!
Let me handle him, Peter.
Metro, control yourself!
We picked up an SOS from Lieutenant Jumbo,
but we don't know his location.
So please tell us!
Oh, very well, then!
A mosquito has just injected an irritant
to stimulate blood flow.
Antigens. In Zone B twenty-four!
This is captain Peter.
All lymphocyte ships will report
to Zone B24 immediately.
Oh! It's enough to turn your stomach!
Metro, help! We're running out of time!
Well, you can relax now that we're here,
Jumbo!
We've dealt with those guys before,
and we're allergic to them!
Into battle now, antibodies!
Charge!
Control yourself, Metro!
Don't start an allergic reaction!
The antibodies will never contain
them unaided. We need reinforcements.
You've got your reinforcements, Jumbo!
Peter!
Paratroops, stand by to jump! Now go!
Right!
Here we have a typical defensive action
fought by the skin,
using all the available resources,
such as macrophages,
who eat the invaders,
antibodies, who kill them,
or histamine,
which destroys them chemically.
See, they have everything under control!
That was hard work,
but the poison is under control.
Apart from a little inflammation,
all is well.
Where do we go from here?
Fresh troops are coming to relieve you,
Elsie.
They're on their way.
Jumbo, have you seen Professor Globus
anywhere?
-He was back there.
-I'll take a look.
Hello!
Where is Professor Globus?
Before your very eyes,
and large as life, my dear!
Horrible insect! It stung me, you know.
It really hurts....
Hey, come over here you fellows.
Look what I found!
All right! Let’s go!
Professor! I have never seen anything so
beautiful in my life!
Yes, it is lovely, isn't it?
All these organs react to pain,
to gentle or hard pressure,
or to the heat of inflammation.
And the information is sent along the
cutaneous nerve,
then up the spinal column
to the spinal bulb and the brain.
A signal takes a hundredth of a second
to reach the brain.
Look at that. The skin is being
scratched from the outside.
That could cause an infection, you know.
Please hurry up, there's only
one gap left to close!
-But we must be thorough.
-Yes! As always!
-Count me in as well!
-Look! Something's coming...
Mind if I drop in, chaps?
Come on!
Oh boy!
Ok, platelets. We will deal with the
situation.
Antibody commander Metro speaking.
About to engage streptococci.
Send reinforcements. Over and out.
Come on, lads! Let’s get them!
The battle tide seems to be turning
against us.
l wish those reinforcements would arrive!
-At last!
-Here we are, Metro!
Only four ships!
Is that all they could spare?
I am afraid so. These are the only few
units we were able to scrape together.
Now, let’s go!
Hold the line till I return, Metro.
l am going to look for reinforcements.
Those germs are really
beginning to annoy me!
Let's have a look.
All right, men,
let's show them we can go down
fighting to the last man.
Antiseptic! We're saved!
Let's go while the going's good!
They're running, lads!
How many clothes or shoes
do we wear out throughout our lives?
The skin never wears out:
it regenerates itself.
It is one of the largest organs,
making up about 7% of the human body.
The skin draws one-third of the blood
circulation.
As a protective wrapping,
it is the first line of defense
against invasion by germs.
But the skin also helps the body
to breathe,
to keep a stable temperature...
Take a road to wonder
Where the whys and the wherefores hide
Join us and discover
Celebrating the joy that's life
Is life, is life, that's life
Is life, is life, that's life
Is life, is life, that's life
Sing the song of life
Every heartbeat's a miracle
Feel the rhythm growing
Day by day as we go
Look inside, your body's humming
With a million drums that are drumming
Fill your lungs, get ready
Celebrating the joy that's life
Is life, is life, that's life
Is life, is life, that's life
Is life, is life, that's life
The skin
is the protective wrapping
of the human body.
The first line of defense
against invasion by germs.
But the skin also helps the body
to breathe,
keep a stable temperature
and get rid of waste products.
It also serves as a radar antenna,
thanks to the millions of nerve endings
which send warning signaIs to the brain.
The skin is only one
or two millimeters thick,
and it has three layers.
It's shut! As usual.
We never get in, barring accidents.
Ground level:
this is the protective outer layer,
the epidermis.
We're about to see a sweat gland
go into action.
This is simply a bead of sweat.
l ask you! Who'd be a germ?
This is the first layer of the skin,
one quarter of a millimeter
under the surface.
Half a millimeter further down
we come to the basal layer,
where the epidermis is created.
-Won’t... you... stop... your...
-Pushing and shoving?
Excuse me, I am needed up there!
-Ah!
-What's all this?
We don't like line-jumpers here,
you know!
You will get there in the end!
Last one up's a rotten egg.
Who'd be a germ?
So, you see, it's impossible
to wear out the epidermis,
because every single cell in that layer is
replaced within twenty days.
Oops, sorry!
Come on, kids, get back to work.
You've almost reached the capillaries.
You can rest later, so get a move on!
They're waiting for the oxygen.
They're waiting for you too, Professor.
You may continue your guided tour
once you've made the delivery.
Good idea!
Hello, corpuscles!
Why can't we join them?
Would you look at that?
Move on, please,
you are causing a traffic jam!
It's quite disgusting, Lieutenant!
Just look at them, sunbathing, while we
workers are busy breaking our backs!
It's just not fair!
You're jumping to conclusions! The
melanocytes may look
as if they're not working.
But I can assure you that's not the case.
Absolutely, Lieutenant.
It's easy to criticize us,
if you don't know what our job is.
We lie here all day, filtering out
dangerous burning ultraviolet rays
from the sunlight,
with no thought for ourselves.
We protect the skin by turning
brown to create a suntan.
And we also manufacture vitamin D, which
is necessary for strong bones.
Who works harder than us?
Red corpuscles?
Let's go, children!
You are the cutest red corpuscle
l have ever seen...
Oh, go on!
Oh dear.
This is the second layer,
seven-tenths of a millimeter
under the surface.
We've left the epidermis,
and now we're in the dermis.
There's a lot going on here.
Just look at those nerve endings, there
are millions of them in the epidermis.
Is it the same all over, Professor?
My child, have you forgotten already?
l told you that the hands and the face
have the most nerve endings,
which makes them more sensitive
and more mobile than the other areas
of the skin.
Professor, what are those?
We are in an industrial park
where the sense of touch is processed,
as well as the sense of heat and cold.
That Meissner's corpuscle
near the epidermis
is a light-touch receptor,
as is that Merkel's disc there.
Right! Now let's go on!
Hold on tight,
it's only the arrector pili muscle.
Watch out!
Good heavens, Professor!
What just happened?
That was just a goosebump coming up
to warm the body up,
which proves it must be fairly nippy out
there today.
Come on, let me show you.
Heave-ho, heave-ho, heave-ho!
Heave-ho, heave-ho, heave-ho!
Look! He's perfectly harmless!
l pull the hair upright to warm the body,
and that's my calling in life.
l hope it doesn't upset you...
Because that's the way it has to be, see?
But the only thing I really don't like
about this work
is the job title.
I hate being the arrector pili.
But arrector means that you make hairs
stand on end – or erect.
That's all.
It's a sign of cold or emotion,
as in an animal when its hackles rise.
Humans get goosebumps instead
because they have tiny hairs.
l still don't like my name.
l want to be called a heating engineer.
Heating engineer muscle,
to be precise.
We are now in the middle of the dermis,
one millimeter below the surface.
Welcome to the gardens of Italy!
I love Italy... the warmth,
the colors, the music.
But before we enjoy the delights of Italy,
let's take a trip to frosty Germany!
It's freezing out here!
Krause's corpuscle: he's a cold sensor,
and
takes himself very seriously.
Still playing it cool, Krause?
Still making jokes, huh?
l am a hard-working corpuscle!
l didn't mean to offend you, Krause! We
all know how hard you work.
Just don't overdo it, that's all!
Hello, Prof! Are you still in harness?
Heavens, yes! An early retirement doesn't
appeal to me. Not at all...
-Hello, Hello, Hello!
-Metro! Still on the alert?
Yes, and it's far too boring
and quiet for my liking.
Come on, chaps, let's go!
Hello, Professor! How are you?
Well, I suppose I can't complain, not at
my age. And what are you up to?
Oh, the same old routine, you know,
the usual.
Don’t underestimate the human body: there
is always something unusual going on.
Bye, Prof! We'll bear that remark in mind.
Bye!
Professor, whenever you talk about Italy,
you get quite carried away.
Why is that?
Well, many parts of the skin were
discovered by Italian doctors,
as you shall shortly see.
It was Malpighi who discovered us 300
years ago and gave us our name,
the red corpuscles.
Other Italian explorers discovered
all sorts of corpuscles as beautiful as
flowers.
Ruffini,
Pacini and Golgi...
Yes, Prof!
Come on, then, this way to the
gardens of Italy.
Behold, children!
Ruffini, the heat sensor.
He is the exact opposite of frigid old
Krause.
Golgi corpuscles.
Their function is to detect gentle
pressure. Look! see how they respond?
They're gorgeous.
Absolutely gorgeous!
Ah, children, the best is yet to come.
We are now in the hypodermis,
two millimeters down from the surface.
Professor, what's that yellow stuff?
That is adipose tissue.
Or fat, to the uninitiated.
It forms a protective coating for
nerves and blood vessels,
it separates the skin from the muscles
beneath,
and it is also acts as
an emergency supply of energy
which is there when it's needed.
It also provides comfortable
padding to sit on,
and – alas – cellulite!
-What a gorgeous flower!
-That's Pacini,
which is sensitive to hard pressure.
Didn't I tell you it was beautiful?
Pity we can't watch it all day. Come!
Now that's a sweat gland.
Look, it is making a droplet
which will eventually evaporate
on the surface.
Those glands get rid of waste products
and keep the body cool.
There are about three million of them.
-Three million?
-Yes.
Now that's a hair. Wait...
lt is moving because it has come into
contact with something up there
on the surface.
I wonder what it could be.
Hmm...
-Something's going on outside.
-Isn't that just the arrector at work?
l am going to investigate.
It can't be the muscle.
He's in a state of complete relaxation.
Maybe the wind, then?
It's quite possible, Lieutenant.
The hairs are the vanguard of the skin.
No, Captain!
Look, Pacini has detected something.
This warrants a closer look.
Can you please let me pass?
Come on, let's keep things moving!
Is that a whole basket of grenades, Elsie?
Expecting trouble?
Help!
Thank you.
Alert! Zone B twenty-four!
Alert!
Something is trying to suck us all out
of the body! This is an emergency.
Captain, do you read me?
Metro, do you copy?
Receiving you loud and clear, Lieutenant!
Alright, let's go, men!
Filthy mosquito!
He's pumping in antigens.
Let's hope we get there in time!
Calling all antibodies with experience of
anopheles mosquito antigens!
Please report to Section B twenty-four
immediately.
I repeat: immediately.
That nerve is carrying a pain message,
Metro!
What's going on? Metro, do you read me?
Metro, what's going on?
I order you to reply.
I have got no time for explanations now!
Let me handle him, Peter.
Metro, control yourself!
We picked up an SOS from Lieutenant Jumbo,
but we don't know his location.
So please tell us!
Oh, very well, then!
A mosquito has just injected an irritant
to stimulate blood flow.
Antigens. In Zone B twenty-four!
This is captain Peter.
All lymphocyte ships will report
to Zone B24 immediately.
Oh! It's enough to turn your stomach!
Metro, help! We're running out of time!
Well, you can relax now that we're here,
Jumbo!
We've dealt with those guys before,
and we're allergic to them!
Into battle now, antibodies!
Charge!
Control yourself, Metro!
Don't start an allergic reaction!
The antibodies will never contain
them unaided. We need reinforcements.
You've got your reinforcements, Jumbo!
Peter!
Paratroops, stand by to jump! Now go!
Right!
Here we have a typical defensive action
fought by the skin,
using all the available resources,
such as macrophages,
who eat the invaders,
antibodies, who kill them,
or histamine,
which destroys them chemically.
See, they have everything under control!
That was hard work,
but the poison is under control.
Apart from a little inflammation,
all is well.
Where do we go from here?
Fresh troops are coming to relieve you,
Elsie.
They're on their way.
Jumbo, have you seen Professor Globus
anywhere?
-He was back there.
-I'll take a look.
Hello!
Where is Professor Globus?
Before your very eyes,
and large as life, my dear!
Horrible insect! It stung me, you know.
It really hurts....
Hey, come over here you fellows.
Look what I found!
All right! Let’s go!
Professor! I have never seen anything so
beautiful in my life!
Yes, it is lovely, isn't it?
All these organs react to pain,
to gentle or hard pressure,
or to the heat of inflammation.
And the information is sent along the
cutaneous nerve,
then up the spinal column
to the spinal bulb and the brain.
A signal takes a hundredth of a second
to reach the brain.
Look at that. The skin is being
scratched from the outside.
That could cause an infection, you know.
Please hurry up, there's only
one gap left to close!
-But we must be thorough.
-Yes! As always!
-Count me in as well!
-Look! Something's coming...
Mind if I drop in, chaps?
Come on!
Oh boy!
Ok, platelets. We will deal with the
situation.
Antibody commander Metro speaking.
About to engage streptococci.
Send reinforcements. Over and out.
Come on, lads! Let’s get them!
The battle tide seems to be turning
against us.
l wish those reinforcements would arrive!
-At last!
-Here we are, Metro!
Only four ships!
Is that all they could spare?
I am afraid so. These are the only few
units we were able to scrape together.
Now, let’s go!
Hold the line till I return, Metro.
l am going to look for reinforcements.
Those germs are really
beginning to annoy me!
Let's have a look.
All right, men,
let's show them we can go down
fighting to the last man.
Antiseptic! We're saved!
Let's go while the going's good!
They're running, lads!
How many clothes or shoes
do we wear out throughout our lives?
The skin never wears out:
it regenerates itself.
It is one of the largest organs,
making up about 7% of the human body.
The skin draws one-third of the blood
circulation.
As a protective wrapping,
it is the first line of defense
against invasion by germs.
But the skin also helps the body
to breathe,
to keep a stable temperature...
Take a road to wonder
Where the whys and the wherefores hide
Join us and discover
Celebrating the joy that's life
Is life, is life, that's life
Is life, is life, that's life