Il était une fois... la vie (1987–1988): Season 1, Episode 17 - Les reins - full transcript
[lively music playing]
♪ Is life, is life, that's life ♪
♪ Sing a song of life ♪
♪ Every heartbeat's a miracle ♪
♪ Feel the rhythm growing ♪
♪ Day by day as we go ♪
♪ Look inside, your body is 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 ♪
THE KIDNEYS
[bright music playing]
[narrator] Another day begins inside
Jumbo Junior’s body.
And for the components of his bloodstream,
it's rush-hour as usual.
The red corpuscles are too busy to stop
and watch those idle platelets dance.
Why on earth can’t you ever keep
your great size ten feet to yourself?
[Gladys] I don’t like being out
in this heavy traffic.
Why couldn’t they all have stayed at home
and turned on the TV instead?
Look at all the fat!
He’s getting into bad habits again.
[narrator] Ah! There's our old friend,
Professor Globus, on the left,
with Hemo in the middle,
and little Globine on the right.
They've got a long road to travel today,
and there are a few surprises up ahead
for our corpuscle friends.
[cheerful music playing]
-[Globine] What the...? [grunts]
-[gasps]
What on earth is it?
-[Hemo] What is this horrid thing?
-[Globus] It's rubbish, actually .
A broken piece of amino acid
that's no use to anyone.
[gulps]
Professor, won’t you please explain
why it is that the blood vessels are
so awfully full of rubbish all the time?
Well, the bloodstream, as you know,
reaches every cell in the human body.
It delivers vital supplies like oxygen,
minerals, protein, fats, and vitamins.
Oh, yes, and look at that.
Don't forget the hormones, children.
And the blood also carries away
the waste products from the cells,
to be converted by the liver
or filtered out by the kidneys.
And since we're getting pretty near
the kidneys,
there's more and more rubbish
floating about.
Ooh! Ooh! You see what I mean?
Stop pushing!
It won't get you there any more quickly.
Before you start merging with the traffic,
just remember who has right-of-way!
[enzyme] Make way! Make way!
Please move aside!
Thank you!
Urgent delivery of protein,
thank you! Please move aside!
[Jumbo Jr.] You sugars had better go
and report to the liver, at once.
I’ve caught you in the act, cholesterol!
Move along there.
I’ll have no blockages here.
And what about you?
Have you proof of identity?
I am a hormone, officer.
Adrenalin’s my name.
-I see.
-Please, could you possibly tell me
what the most direct route
to the heart is?
Any vein will take you there in the end.
Mind you, I suppose it’s true that
some routes are more direct than others.
Go straight up here for two centimeters,
then take the fork to the left,
and you'll find yourself in an artery.
No, I mean a vein, you can't miss it.
Then you’ll find another policeman
and ask him the way.
Could you possibly give me a push-start?
My engine seems to have stalled
when I landed here.
-[Jumbo grunts]
-[Adrenaline shrieks]
A bit rough but thanks all the same.
You! And where are your papers?
[Foxy] What?
My papers, did you say, officer?
Oh, silly me! I've gone
and left them at home.
Would you like me to run back
and fetch them for you?
-I’d be there and back in a minute.
-l quite understand, sir!
It is very easy to forget your
identity card when you are in a hurry.
Luckily, I won’t need to see your papers.
-[inhales]
-[shouts]
You can't beat that for cheek.
A virus in the main vein, just
marching along as if he owned the place!
-And who are you?
-We are law-abiding red corpuscles,
proceeding to the kidneys on business,
subject to your approval, officer.
[bright music playing]
Ooh.
-Oh!
-[grunts]
-[coughs]
-This filthy stuff is just disgusting!
And who are these little horrors?
l don't like the look of them one bit.
You can say that again, Lieutenant.
These girls are pure poison:
ammonia molecules.
They’re on their way
to a reformatory in the liver.
They're hoping to turn them
into young ladies. [snorts]
Hey you! Keep away from that door!
You know very well you are not allowed
to get off this vehicle
until we arrive in the liver.
Turn your back for just one minute
and they take advantage.
The sooner I can get rid of them,
the better.
[light music playing]
[driver] Well, girls,
here we are in the liver.
This will be your new home, and I know
you're going to love the school.
[teacher] No, no, no there must be some
mistake! We've got no room for new pupils.
Don't shout at me.
I'm only carrying out my orders.
And according to these order,
l must deliver these girls
to reform school in the liver.
And as far as I'm concerned, that is that!
But we're chock-a-block!
In fact,
things are getting rapidly out of hand!
[screaming and wicked laughter]
[shouting and gasping]
-Okay, I’m off!
-Now that's the spirit!
[teacher] Try the cell next door,
you might have better luck there!
[bright music playing]
Oh, no you don’t!
You've got another thing coming if you
plan to offload your little horrors on me!
[driver] I can take a hint. Bye.
Anybody in?
-[raspberry]
-[shrieks]
[screams]
Sir, I have some wayward girls
who need to be taught
the error of their ways, and--
Spare me the sob story.
l know what those girls are like.
But we do have a few vacancies,
so you’d better send them in
before I lose my nerve.
Hooray! School at last.
[laughing and chattering]
-We’ll break all the windows.
-We’re going to throw ink everywhere!
And tear up all the exercise books.
Great!
-Whoa!
-You can’t catch me.
[laughs]
[shouting and laughing and cheering]
Hey! Come over here!
Look what I've found! Sponges and water.
-[gasps]
-[laughing]
Now listen to me, you little horrors,
unless your behavior improves,
you will be punished,
because I will have no other option
but to expel you from this school.
He can’t really chuck us out, can he?
Of course, he can't!
We are far too poisonous to let loose.
He is only trying to put the wind up us!
Oh really? Now watch me
while I put the wind up him!
Here! Take that!
-[groans and grunts]
-[girls laughing]
[shrieks and shouts]
[shouting]
Now, ammonia is poisonous,
and before the body can deal with it,
it must be converted into urea.
I'm sick
of this boring old lesson already!
-Leave me alone! Let go of me!
-Silence in the classroom!
Now repeat after me:
"We’ll have less poison, never fear,
and better manners, as urea."
Have you been drinking ginger beer?
You sound as if you’re on your ear!
l don’t think really very much
of your sense of humor. Now you say it!
"We’ll have less poison, never fear,
and better manners, as urea."
Oh! What an unexpected pleasure
and privilege to be inspected by you, sir!
[stutters] A visit
from the chief inspector of schools
is something we all look forward to, sir.
He's coming along the corridor! You’ve got
four seconds to pull your socks up!
[moaning, indistinct chattering]
[chief] How gratifying to see
such a well-behaved class!
Good morning, girls!
Good morning, sir!
Now then, girls. Do you remember
when you first came to this school?
You were ammonia molecules in those days,
and not very nice to know, I'm afraid.
-Downright poisonous, in fact.
-[girls giggling]
But now that you have acquired
an education and are ready to graduate,
l have brought along your diplomas.
Please queue up
so that I can hand them over.
[girls shouting]
Uhm, yes.
Will the first in line
please step forward?
Here we are. Wearing this,
you are free to travel about the organism,
and here's your diploma. Next!
[bright music playing]
[Peter Jr.] Look at that!
[buzzing]
[shouting]
How I hate feeling so filthy!
-[groans]
-Those proteins
can’t just go dropping litter everywhere!
[gasps]
-What on earth is it?
-Hm...
[groans]
This is getting more like a sewer
-than a proper blood vessel.
-Yes, I know, I know, my child.
But we’re passing
the great chemical works of the liver,
and they pump out a lot of pollution.
I am afraid there's nothing else for it
but to put up with this situation.
[light music playing]
[Globus] Look at that! Urea!
-[girl] Look out. I can’t stop!
-[shouts]
Got you!
[Globine] Behave yourselves!
Those silly games of yours are beginning
to interfere with our work, you know.
[shouts]
Oh Goodness! That stuff smells
absolutely revolting!
[Globine] Oh, Hemo,
it’s enough to make you sick.
-What is the smell, Prof?
-It’s urea,
one of the main waste products
the body has to get rid of.
We’ll have to live with it
until we’re ready for the big clean-up.
When’s that?
[Globus] When we get to the kidneys.
Here, try one of these, it helps a bit.
-[gasps] Not you again!
-[girl cackles]
[Hemo] I’d like to put her over my knee,
and... [grunts]
[Globus] Well, girls will be girls,
you know.
It's not far to the kidneys now, children.
The big clean-up. You wait and see.
The kidneys are fascinating organs.
They're filters, actually.
Each kidney is a purification plant
of amazing efficiency.
It’s a pity about
the one small drawback though.
[Hemo] One small drawback, Prof?
What's the problem?
[Globine] Relax, Hemo, for every problem
there is a solution.
[Globus] Here is the drawback: the kidneys
can purify only one liter of blood
per minute. That’s their total capacity.
[Hemo] Prof, why is that bad? A liter
a minute sounds like enough to me.
Far from it, Hemo, because the heart pumps
blood at a rate of five liters per minute,
-you see.
-[Globine] Why, that must mean
that four-fifths of the blood
never gets cleaned!
[Hemo] We can’t stay dirty forever!
[Globus] Don't get carried away, Hemo.
All the blood gets cleaned,
one fifth at a time.
Look! There's the renal artery
on the right.
It goes straight to a kidney. Come on.
[Globine] Good idea, Prof. Right turn!
-[Globus] Ooh, quiet, Globin!
-[Globine] Sorry, Prof.
[blue boy] You can’t do that!
[driver] Hey! Indicate next time!
Hey! Just where do you corpuscles
think you’re going?
-Didn’t you leave the left lane?
-[Hemo] Not at all, officer.
This route leads to the kidney.
-[Globine] Right first time!
-[Hemo] No, we’re not kidding!
Look here, are you trying to take
the mickey out of me?
[Globus] There’s a great deal at stake
in the kidney, officer.
[Globine] Yes! We want to swim,
and get clean, and scrub behind our ears.
Quickly then! Off you go
while I'm not watching.
[narrator] Our friends march off
into one of the kidneys,
a filtration plant which removes
impurities from the blood.
Densely packed blood vessels are closely
interwoven with tiny knotted tubes
which collect the impurities,
then let them flow away
in successively larger tubes.
[Maestro] It's operating perfectly.
What a design!
Come here, you two, and see how it works.
That's how the blood flows in and out.
What happens to the blood in between
these two points is absolutely astounding.
All the waste products are removed,
and poisonous substances are eliminated
from the circulation.
It is here that urine is manufactured.
The glomerulus!
What an amazing installation, my friends.
What a processing plant!
And each kidney has a million
of these separators in constant operation.
[laughs] A million! Can you believe it?
Now children, pay attention.
We’re nearly at the roller coaster.
Ah! So the kidney’s a fun-fair,
complete with roller coaster?
No, not really, but you’ll have just
as much fun in the Bowman’s capsule.
-[Globine] The Bowman's capsule?
-[Globus] Wait and see!
[bright music playing]
This ticket entitles you to one turn,
you can’t go round twice.
Now, remember to hang on tight.
But Prof, I am scared!
l mean, I’ve never been
on one of these things before.
Will I get dizzy and fall off?
Will I get sick?
Don’t worry. I will be there beside you
and you can hold my hand.
Well, this is the big clean up at last!
Afterwards, you’ll come out
feeling wonderful.
But that’s afterwards, Professor.
What about during?
If it were that awful, my child,
you wouldn’t find an old corpuscle like me
so keen to repeat the experience.
So, come on, let’s go!
Don’t take all day!
Some of us are in a hurry, you know.
Take it away!
[upbeat music playing]
Whoa!
[shouting]
[chuckles]
[nervous shivering]
[shouting]
Hey, this is great fun!
It’s far too fast for me!
[Hemo] It has to be fast to clean us up.
[shouting]
[shrieking]
Keep holding on tight, Globin.
[shrieks and shouts]
-That was great!
-Fantastic.
I agree with you guys.
-I want to do it again.
-Come on, let’s steal a ride.
I'm warning you three:
don't even think about it!
To get back to the start
of the roller coaster again,
you have to circulate
around the entire body.
[chuckles] So let’s get circulating,
shall we?
-Me and my clever ideas!
-You said it!
[assistant] Well, the first stage
of the filtration process is complete.
-Do you think we should wake him up?
-I wouldn’t bother!
[snoring]
As you can see, he is far too busy
to be disturbed. He’s thinking.
Any case, the kidney runs automatically.
[cheerful music playing]
-Oh, I have never felt so clean, Prof.
-[laughs]
-It's wonderful.
-[laughs]
Told you!
It is a real pick-me-up, isn't it?
-Kidneys are amazing.
-Oh yes, We may be finished for now,
but there are other components
of the bloodstream
which still have to be dealt with.
Everything in the blood
must be filtered and purified.
Ninety-nine percent of the material
is restored to the body,
after separation and purification.
Which leaves only a teeny weeny
one percent to be got rid of.
[laughter]
Professor,
the kidney was quite fascinating,
but where do we go from here?
Well, we’re off to the heart,
first of all,
then on to the lungs
to pick up some oxygen.
How does that idea appeal to you, Hemo?
-[chuckles]
-I love it. [laughs]
[bright music playing]
[captain] Half ahead, Mr. Mate.
Keep her steady as she goes!
Full astern, and stop! Drop anchor!
[matelot 1] Ah! The blood needs water.
"Recover the water removed by filtration."
[matelot 2] "New stocks of salt
urgently needed to meet shortage."
Aye aye, sir!
[matelot 3] "Sugar stocks are running low.
Save as much as you can."
[first officer] "Get the water-gathering
hormones over the side now!
"And some al... al..." What is this?
Ah! Aldosterone hormones
to collect salt.
[cheerful music playing]
[joyful sounds]
[happy sounds]
[first officer] All right, me hearties,
let’s get that water on board.
Haul away.
You can stow those droplets
in the starboard hold.
We will start loading salt now!
Haul away. Stow it under the port hatch!
Lower away... Easy!
-l wish they'd start biting!
-Must you always be so impatient?
Only yesterday, I caught one this size,
I'm telling you!
l just wish you fellows had been there
to see the size of it.
It was an unbelievable length,
really it was, I swear.
And must have weighed
at least 400 kilojoules.
Come off it.
We've heard your stories before.
l never exaggerate. For example,
take that monster I caught yesterday.
Oh, this one's a whale!
This one is a monster!
That’ll teach you to disbelieve me,
won’t it?
Just you wait till I land him, boys!
It's unfair to the rest of us! Why does
Jock always get the best places?
l insist on swopping with you right now.
That’s a whale of a catch, all right.
Is that one bigger than yesterdays, hm?
By no means! In fact,
now that I come to think of it,
it was enormous compared to this midget.
It must have been all of 500 kilojoules.
Maybe even 750!
[gasps]
[shouting]
Man overboard off the port bow!
Look, there he is!
Man overboard off the port bow!
Help!
Captain! Captain!
There’s a man overboard!
-What was that you said?
-I said, "Man overboard!"
Louder.
There is a man, actually he’s a corpuscle,
and he's drowning
in front of your very nose.
[captain] I see him.
He's a red corpuscle, all right.
But what is he doing here, of all places?
It's against the rules!
We can’t have red corpuscles
floating in the urine!
He must be rescued
as soon as humanly possible.
Aye aye, Captain!
[lively music playing]
Get up on deck and find out why they
haven't rescued that poor corpuscle yet!
[captain] Throw him a lifebelt,
you landlubber, you!
-[grunts]
-[panting]
[grunts]
[matelot 2] That’s it!. Hold on tight!
-Hang on tight at all costs!
-Right, you can pull him in now!
[grunting and groaning]
Well done, lads. You're safe at last,
but how does a corpuscle
end up in the soup?
[cheerful music playing]
Welcome aboard my vessel, young fellow!
How on earth did you find your way here?
You belong in a blood-vessel,
not in a kidney.
Well, you see, I was having fun
with my friends and all of a sudden,
l lost my grip and fell.
That’s how I landed up in the soup.
I am glad to hear that it was no more
than an unfortunate accident,
because some kidney infections
can give the urine a nasty red tint.
However, we can relax now.
Please, may I go back to the bloodstream,
sir, where I belong with all my friends?
But of course you may, my young friend.
We will send you straight back
with the next delivery.
You see, our job is to recover
all the things that the body still needs.
Essential supplies like water, enzymes,
salt, and sugar are sent straight back
into the bloodstream you see,
while all the rubbish
goes out with the urine.
I see. Is that
what the clever people call recycling?
That’s the principle!
Waste not, want not, I always say.
And if the kidney fails to recycle
all the materials it filters,
-they can block it.
-That must be awful!
l recall in one of my previous existences,
the kidney had been severely overloaded
by alcohol abuse,
and it failed to get rid of
all the waste products in the urine.
-[corpuscle] And what happened then?
-[captain] Things began to look bad.
[captain] Then things began to get worse.
[cheerful music playing]
[pained moan]
[corpuscle] And then?
Well, when they were at their worst,
all the waste products built up
and blocked the kidney.
-[captain] It was absolutely excruciating!
-[corpuscle] And then, Captain?
[captain] If the kidney stone
stays in place, it's very dangerous.
But if it passes out,
it's doubly excruciating!
[pained moan]
[sighs]
That sounds awful.
It wasn't too bad.
As soon as I gave up drinking, that is!
But that's all water under the bridge.
How would you like to go
on a tour of the ship?
-I’d be pleased to show you around.
-Thanks, Captain.
[groaning]
Get that water unloaded!
Okay, now for some salt. Ready?
Begging you pardon, Mr. Mate,
any sugar to offload?
You’re too late, sailor.
[Globus] Well children.
l told you the kidney is efficient,
and as I predicted earlier on,
the blood components are now rejoining us.
Now, doesn’t that prove my point?
]Look! All the unwanted waste products
are poured away down the ureter.
[Maestro] And so, all the waste,
anything useless or harmful to the body,
-flows down to the bladder.
-And then after that?
Well, we shall see in just a moment
because young Jumbo's bladder is full,
and it's sending urgent signals
he can no longer ignore.
So sorry.
I had to.
And that’s that!
[lively music playing]
♪ Is life, is life, that's life ♪
♪ Sing a song of life ♪
♪ Every heartbeat's a miracle ♪
♪ Feel the rhythm growing ♪
♪ Day by day as we go ♪
♪ Look inside, your body is 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 ♪
THE KIDNEYS
[bright music playing]
[narrator] Another day begins inside
Jumbo Junior’s body.
And for the components of his bloodstream,
it's rush-hour as usual.
The red corpuscles are too busy to stop
and watch those idle platelets dance.
Why on earth can’t you ever keep
your great size ten feet to yourself?
[Gladys] I don’t like being out
in this heavy traffic.
Why couldn’t they all have stayed at home
and turned on the TV instead?
Look at all the fat!
He’s getting into bad habits again.
[narrator] Ah! There's our old friend,
Professor Globus, on the left,
with Hemo in the middle,
and little Globine on the right.
They've got a long road to travel today,
and there are a few surprises up ahead
for our corpuscle friends.
[cheerful music playing]
-[Globine] What the...? [grunts]
-[gasps]
What on earth is it?
-[Hemo] What is this horrid thing?
-[Globus] It's rubbish, actually .
A broken piece of amino acid
that's no use to anyone.
[gulps]
Professor, won’t you please explain
why it is that the blood vessels are
so awfully full of rubbish all the time?
Well, the bloodstream, as you know,
reaches every cell in the human body.
It delivers vital supplies like oxygen,
minerals, protein, fats, and vitamins.
Oh, yes, and look at that.
Don't forget the hormones, children.
And the blood also carries away
the waste products from the cells,
to be converted by the liver
or filtered out by the kidneys.
And since we're getting pretty near
the kidneys,
there's more and more rubbish
floating about.
Ooh! Ooh! You see what I mean?
Stop pushing!
It won't get you there any more quickly.
Before you start merging with the traffic,
just remember who has right-of-way!
[enzyme] Make way! Make way!
Please move aside!
Thank you!
Urgent delivery of protein,
thank you! Please move aside!
[Jumbo Jr.] You sugars had better go
and report to the liver, at once.
I’ve caught you in the act, cholesterol!
Move along there.
I’ll have no blockages here.
And what about you?
Have you proof of identity?
I am a hormone, officer.
Adrenalin’s my name.
-I see.
-Please, could you possibly tell me
what the most direct route
to the heart is?
Any vein will take you there in the end.
Mind you, I suppose it’s true that
some routes are more direct than others.
Go straight up here for two centimeters,
then take the fork to the left,
and you'll find yourself in an artery.
No, I mean a vein, you can't miss it.
Then you’ll find another policeman
and ask him the way.
Could you possibly give me a push-start?
My engine seems to have stalled
when I landed here.
-[Jumbo grunts]
-[Adrenaline shrieks]
A bit rough but thanks all the same.
You! And where are your papers?
[Foxy] What?
My papers, did you say, officer?
Oh, silly me! I've gone
and left them at home.
Would you like me to run back
and fetch them for you?
-I’d be there and back in a minute.
-l quite understand, sir!
It is very easy to forget your
identity card when you are in a hurry.
Luckily, I won’t need to see your papers.
-[inhales]
-[shouts]
You can't beat that for cheek.
A virus in the main vein, just
marching along as if he owned the place!
-And who are you?
-We are law-abiding red corpuscles,
proceeding to the kidneys on business,
subject to your approval, officer.
[bright music playing]
Ooh.
-Oh!
-[grunts]
-[coughs]
-This filthy stuff is just disgusting!
And who are these little horrors?
l don't like the look of them one bit.
You can say that again, Lieutenant.
These girls are pure poison:
ammonia molecules.
They’re on their way
to a reformatory in the liver.
They're hoping to turn them
into young ladies. [snorts]
Hey you! Keep away from that door!
You know very well you are not allowed
to get off this vehicle
until we arrive in the liver.
Turn your back for just one minute
and they take advantage.
The sooner I can get rid of them,
the better.
[light music playing]
[driver] Well, girls,
here we are in the liver.
This will be your new home, and I know
you're going to love the school.
[teacher] No, no, no there must be some
mistake! We've got no room for new pupils.
Don't shout at me.
I'm only carrying out my orders.
And according to these order,
l must deliver these girls
to reform school in the liver.
And as far as I'm concerned, that is that!
But we're chock-a-block!
In fact,
things are getting rapidly out of hand!
[screaming and wicked laughter]
[shouting and gasping]
-Okay, I’m off!
-Now that's the spirit!
[teacher] Try the cell next door,
you might have better luck there!
[bright music playing]
Oh, no you don’t!
You've got another thing coming if you
plan to offload your little horrors on me!
[driver] I can take a hint. Bye.
Anybody in?
-[raspberry]
-[shrieks]
[screams]
Sir, I have some wayward girls
who need to be taught
the error of their ways, and--
Spare me the sob story.
l know what those girls are like.
But we do have a few vacancies,
so you’d better send them in
before I lose my nerve.
Hooray! School at last.
[laughing and chattering]
-We’ll break all the windows.
-We’re going to throw ink everywhere!
And tear up all the exercise books.
Great!
-Whoa!
-You can’t catch me.
[laughs]
[shouting and laughing and cheering]
Hey! Come over here!
Look what I've found! Sponges and water.
-[gasps]
-[laughing]
Now listen to me, you little horrors,
unless your behavior improves,
you will be punished,
because I will have no other option
but to expel you from this school.
He can’t really chuck us out, can he?
Of course, he can't!
We are far too poisonous to let loose.
He is only trying to put the wind up us!
Oh really? Now watch me
while I put the wind up him!
Here! Take that!
-[groans and grunts]
-[girls laughing]
[shrieks and shouts]
[shouting]
Now, ammonia is poisonous,
and before the body can deal with it,
it must be converted into urea.
I'm sick
of this boring old lesson already!
-Leave me alone! Let go of me!
-Silence in the classroom!
Now repeat after me:
"We’ll have less poison, never fear,
and better manners, as urea."
Have you been drinking ginger beer?
You sound as if you’re on your ear!
l don’t think really very much
of your sense of humor. Now you say it!
"We’ll have less poison, never fear,
and better manners, as urea."
Oh! What an unexpected pleasure
and privilege to be inspected by you, sir!
[stutters] A visit
from the chief inspector of schools
is something we all look forward to, sir.
He's coming along the corridor! You’ve got
four seconds to pull your socks up!
[moaning, indistinct chattering]
[chief] How gratifying to see
such a well-behaved class!
Good morning, girls!
Good morning, sir!
Now then, girls. Do you remember
when you first came to this school?
You were ammonia molecules in those days,
and not very nice to know, I'm afraid.
-Downright poisonous, in fact.
-[girls giggling]
But now that you have acquired
an education and are ready to graduate,
l have brought along your diplomas.
Please queue up
so that I can hand them over.
[girls shouting]
Uhm, yes.
Will the first in line
please step forward?
Here we are. Wearing this,
you are free to travel about the organism,
and here's your diploma. Next!
[bright music playing]
[Peter Jr.] Look at that!
[buzzing]
[shouting]
How I hate feeling so filthy!
-[groans]
-Those proteins
can’t just go dropping litter everywhere!
[gasps]
-What on earth is it?
-Hm...
[groans]
This is getting more like a sewer
-than a proper blood vessel.
-Yes, I know, I know, my child.
But we’re passing
the great chemical works of the liver,
and they pump out a lot of pollution.
I am afraid there's nothing else for it
but to put up with this situation.
[light music playing]
[Globus] Look at that! Urea!
-[girl] Look out. I can’t stop!
-[shouts]
Got you!
[Globine] Behave yourselves!
Those silly games of yours are beginning
to interfere with our work, you know.
[shouts]
Oh Goodness! That stuff smells
absolutely revolting!
[Globine] Oh, Hemo,
it’s enough to make you sick.
-What is the smell, Prof?
-It’s urea,
one of the main waste products
the body has to get rid of.
We’ll have to live with it
until we’re ready for the big clean-up.
When’s that?
[Globus] When we get to the kidneys.
Here, try one of these, it helps a bit.
-[gasps] Not you again!
-[girl cackles]
[Hemo] I’d like to put her over my knee,
and... [grunts]
[Globus] Well, girls will be girls,
you know.
It's not far to the kidneys now, children.
The big clean-up. You wait and see.
The kidneys are fascinating organs.
They're filters, actually.
Each kidney is a purification plant
of amazing efficiency.
It’s a pity about
the one small drawback though.
[Hemo] One small drawback, Prof?
What's the problem?
[Globine] Relax, Hemo, for every problem
there is a solution.
[Globus] Here is the drawback: the kidneys
can purify only one liter of blood
per minute. That’s their total capacity.
[Hemo] Prof, why is that bad? A liter
a minute sounds like enough to me.
Far from it, Hemo, because the heart pumps
blood at a rate of five liters per minute,
-you see.
-[Globine] Why, that must mean
that four-fifths of the blood
never gets cleaned!
[Hemo] We can’t stay dirty forever!
[Globus] Don't get carried away, Hemo.
All the blood gets cleaned,
one fifth at a time.
Look! There's the renal artery
on the right.
It goes straight to a kidney. Come on.
[Globine] Good idea, Prof. Right turn!
-[Globus] Ooh, quiet, Globin!
-[Globine] Sorry, Prof.
[blue boy] You can’t do that!
[driver] Hey! Indicate next time!
Hey! Just where do you corpuscles
think you’re going?
-Didn’t you leave the left lane?
-[Hemo] Not at all, officer.
This route leads to the kidney.
-[Globine] Right first time!
-[Hemo] No, we’re not kidding!
Look here, are you trying to take
the mickey out of me?
[Globus] There’s a great deal at stake
in the kidney, officer.
[Globine] Yes! We want to swim,
and get clean, and scrub behind our ears.
Quickly then! Off you go
while I'm not watching.
[narrator] Our friends march off
into one of the kidneys,
a filtration plant which removes
impurities from the blood.
Densely packed blood vessels are closely
interwoven with tiny knotted tubes
which collect the impurities,
then let them flow away
in successively larger tubes.
[Maestro] It's operating perfectly.
What a design!
Come here, you two, and see how it works.
That's how the blood flows in and out.
What happens to the blood in between
these two points is absolutely astounding.
All the waste products are removed,
and poisonous substances are eliminated
from the circulation.
It is here that urine is manufactured.
The glomerulus!
What an amazing installation, my friends.
What a processing plant!
And each kidney has a million
of these separators in constant operation.
[laughs] A million! Can you believe it?
Now children, pay attention.
We’re nearly at the roller coaster.
Ah! So the kidney’s a fun-fair,
complete with roller coaster?
No, not really, but you’ll have just
as much fun in the Bowman’s capsule.
-[Globine] The Bowman's capsule?
-[Globus] Wait and see!
[bright music playing]
This ticket entitles you to one turn,
you can’t go round twice.
Now, remember to hang on tight.
But Prof, I am scared!
l mean, I’ve never been
on one of these things before.
Will I get dizzy and fall off?
Will I get sick?
Don’t worry. I will be there beside you
and you can hold my hand.
Well, this is the big clean up at last!
Afterwards, you’ll come out
feeling wonderful.
But that’s afterwards, Professor.
What about during?
If it were that awful, my child,
you wouldn’t find an old corpuscle like me
so keen to repeat the experience.
So, come on, let’s go!
Don’t take all day!
Some of us are in a hurry, you know.
Take it away!
[upbeat music playing]
Whoa!
[shouting]
[chuckles]
[nervous shivering]
[shouting]
Hey, this is great fun!
It’s far too fast for me!
[Hemo] It has to be fast to clean us up.
[shouting]
[shrieking]
Keep holding on tight, Globin.
[shrieks and shouts]
-That was great!
-Fantastic.
I agree with you guys.
-I want to do it again.
-Come on, let’s steal a ride.
I'm warning you three:
don't even think about it!
To get back to the start
of the roller coaster again,
you have to circulate
around the entire body.
[chuckles] So let’s get circulating,
shall we?
-Me and my clever ideas!
-You said it!
[assistant] Well, the first stage
of the filtration process is complete.
-Do you think we should wake him up?
-I wouldn’t bother!
[snoring]
As you can see, he is far too busy
to be disturbed. He’s thinking.
Any case, the kidney runs automatically.
[cheerful music playing]
-Oh, I have never felt so clean, Prof.
-[laughs]
-It's wonderful.
-[laughs]
Told you!
It is a real pick-me-up, isn't it?
-Kidneys are amazing.
-Oh yes, We may be finished for now,
but there are other components
of the bloodstream
which still have to be dealt with.
Everything in the blood
must be filtered and purified.
Ninety-nine percent of the material
is restored to the body,
after separation and purification.
Which leaves only a teeny weeny
one percent to be got rid of.
[laughter]
Professor,
the kidney was quite fascinating,
but where do we go from here?
Well, we’re off to the heart,
first of all,
then on to the lungs
to pick up some oxygen.
How does that idea appeal to you, Hemo?
-[chuckles]
-I love it. [laughs]
[bright music playing]
[captain] Half ahead, Mr. Mate.
Keep her steady as she goes!
Full astern, and stop! Drop anchor!
[matelot 1] Ah! The blood needs water.
"Recover the water removed by filtration."
[matelot 2] "New stocks of salt
urgently needed to meet shortage."
Aye aye, sir!
[matelot 3] "Sugar stocks are running low.
Save as much as you can."
[first officer] "Get the water-gathering
hormones over the side now!
"And some al... al..." What is this?
Ah! Aldosterone hormones
to collect salt.
[cheerful music playing]
[joyful sounds]
[happy sounds]
[first officer] All right, me hearties,
let’s get that water on board.
Haul away.
You can stow those droplets
in the starboard hold.
We will start loading salt now!
Haul away. Stow it under the port hatch!
Lower away... Easy!
-l wish they'd start biting!
-Must you always be so impatient?
Only yesterday, I caught one this size,
I'm telling you!
l just wish you fellows had been there
to see the size of it.
It was an unbelievable length,
really it was, I swear.
And must have weighed
at least 400 kilojoules.
Come off it.
We've heard your stories before.
l never exaggerate. For example,
take that monster I caught yesterday.
Oh, this one's a whale!
This one is a monster!
That’ll teach you to disbelieve me,
won’t it?
Just you wait till I land him, boys!
It's unfair to the rest of us! Why does
Jock always get the best places?
l insist on swopping with you right now.
That’s a whale of a catch, all right.
Is that one bigger than yesterdays, hm?
By no means! In fact,
now that I come to think of it,
it was enormous compared to this midget.
It must have been all of 500 kilojoules.
Maybe even 750!
[gasps]
[shouting]
Man overboard off the port bow!
Look, there he is!
Man overboard off the port bow!
Help!
Captain! Captain!
There’s a man overboard!
-What was that you said?
-I said, "Man overboard!"
Louder.
There is a man, actually he’s a corpuscle,
and he's drowning
in front of your very nose.
[captain] I see him.
He's a red corpuscle, all right.
But what is he doing here, of all places?
It's against the rules!
We can’t have red corpuscles
floating in the urine!
He must be rescued
as soon as humanly possible.
Aye aye, Captain!
[lively music playing]
Get up on deck and find out why they
haven't rescued that poor corpuscle yet!
[captain] Throw him a lifebelt,
you landlubber, you!
-[grunts]
-[panting]
[grunts]
[matelot 2] That’s it!. Hold on tight!
-Hang on tight at all costs!
-Right, you can pull him in now!
[grunting and groaning]
Well done, lads. You're safe at last,
but how does a corpuscle
end up in the soup?
[cheerful music playing]
Welcome aboard my vessel, young fellow!
How on earth did you find your way here?
You belong in a blood-vessel,
not in a kidney.
Well, you see, I was having fun
with my friends and all of a sudden,
l lost my grip and fell.
That’s how I landed up in the soup.
I am glad to hear that it was no more
than an unfortunate accident,
because some kidney infections
can give the urine a nasty red tint.
However, we can relax now.
Please, may I go back to the bloodstream,
sir, where I belong with all my friends?
But of course you may, my young friend.
We will send you straight back
with the next delivery.
You see, our job is to recover
all the things that the body still needs.
Essential supplies like water, enzymes,
salt, and sugar are sent straight back
into the bloodstream you see,
while all the rubbish
goes out with the urine.
I see. Is that
what the clever people call recycling?
That’s the principle!
Waste not, want not, I always say.
And if the kidney fails to recycle
all the materials it filters,
-they can block it.
-That must be awful!
l recall in one of my previous existences,
the kidney had been severely overloaded
by alcohol abuse,
and it failed to get rid of
all the waste products in the urine.
-[corpuscle] And what happened then?
-[captain] Things began to look bad.
[captain] Then things began to get worse.
[cheerful music playing]
[pained moan]
[corpuscle] And then?
Well, when they were at their worst,
all the waste products built up
and blocked the kidney.
-[captain] It was absolutely excruciating!
-[corpuscle] And then, Captain?
[captain] If the kidney stone
stays in place, it's very dangerous.
But if it passes out,
it's doubly excruciating!
[pained moan]
[sighs]
That sounds awful.
It wasn't too bad.
As soon as I gave up drinking, that is!
But that's all water under the bridge.
How would you like to go
on a tour of the ship?
-I’d be pleased to show you around.
-Thanks, Captain.
[groaning]
Get that water unloaded!
Okay, now for some salt. Ready?
Begging you pardon, Mr. Mate,
any sugar to offload?
You’re too late, sailor.
[Globus] Well children.
l told you the kidney is efficient,
and as I predicted earlier on,
the blood components are now rejoining us.
Now, doesn’t that prove my point?
]Look! All the unwanted waste products
are poured away down the ureter.
[Maestro] And so, all the waste,
anything useless or harmful to the body,
-flows down to the bladder.
-And then after that?
Well, we shall see in just a moment
because young Jumbo's bladder is full,
and it's sending urgent signals
he can no longer ignore.
So sorry.
I had to.
And that’s that!
[lively music playing]