Human Body

Infographics
By Harriet Brundle
Designed by Matt Rumbelow
 Human Body
Infographics
Contents
Page 4-5 The Human Body
Page 6-7 The Skeleton
Page 8-9 The Muscles
Page 10-11 The Brain
Page 12-13 The Heart and Blood
Page 14-15 The Respiratory System
Page 16-19 The Five Senses
Page 20-21 The Immune System
Page 22-23 Reproduction and Birth
Page 24-25 Growth
Page 26-27 Healthy Living
Page 28-29 Record Breakers
©2017 Written by: A catalogue record
for this book is
Page 30 A
 ctivity Words that
Book Life Harriet Brundle
available from are underlined
King’s Lynn
Norfolk PE30 4LS Edited by:
the British Library.
BookLife Page 31 Glossary are explained in
ISBN: 978-1-78637-081-5
Charlie Ogden Publishing
Designed by: .com Page 32 Index the glossary on
All rights reserved
Printed in Malaysia Matt Rumbelow page 31.
 Head
The body is covered

The
Neck
in skin. We have skin
for three reasons:
Human
Body
Torso
Hand

Arm

The human body is the collection Protection

of all the parts that make up a
human being. The basic parts
of the body are:

Leg Feeling

Brain
Foot

To help regulate our

Heart body temperature

Stomach We have hair on our bodies to keep us warm.

Lungs

Large Intestine
100,000
There are around 100,000 hairs on the average human head.

The human body is made up

of different cells. An adult body
is made up of approximately
The small intestine is 100,000,000,000,000 cells.
around 7 metres long.
Humans need water, air and food in order to survive.

4 5
 Incus
If our bones are
broken, they can
grow and repair
themselves.
Stapes
Malleus

The Skeleton The three smallest

bones in the body
are found in the ear.
The skeleton is a collection of bones that are
connected by joints. The skeleton is the body’s
framework. Without a skeleton, our bodies
would have no shape.

The skeleton supports and

protects our vital organs.
The skull, which is also known
as the cranium, is made up of
a number of bones that join The vertebral
together and protect the brain. column helps to
hold the body
upright.

We need calcium

Bones provide a
strong surface for
muscles to attach to,
50cm in our diet to keep
our bones strong
and healthy.
so we can move.

The femur, or thigh

An adult skeleton has 206 different bones. bone, is the longest
bone in the body.
It measures around
50cm on average.

6 7
 There are three types of muscle in the human body:

The Muscles
Muscles are bundles of fibres in the body that
have the ability to contract and relax, allowing
us to move. 1. Cardiac 2. Smooth 3. Skeletal
A type of A type of Voluntary
involuntary involuntary muscles that
muscle that muscle that is are attached to
is found in found in areas bones and are
the heart. of the body such responsible for
as the gut and our movement.
the bladder.
An adult has around 640
different muscles in their body.

Volu To bend the leg: To straighten the leg:

ntary

Qu

g
trin
ad

ms
ric
ep

Ha
s

The hamstring The hamstring

contracts and relaxes
pulls the lower The quadriceps
leg upwards contract and
The quadriceps pull the leg
relax
downwards

Involuntary

Muscles can be voluntary or involuntary. A voluntary muscle is one that

we can control at will. An involuntary muscle is automatically controlled Muscles can only exert a force by contracting, so they often work in pairs in order to move
by our brains, meaning that we don’t have to think about it. our body parts up and down. Muscles that work in this way are called antagonistic pairs.
8 9
 There are three parts to the brain:

The Cerebellum
Found at the back of the brain,
this part coordinates our muscle
activity.

The Brain The Cerebrum

Found at the front of the brain,
it is the largest and most highly
developed part of the brain.
It receives messages about our
sight, touch, hearing and taste.
Cranium Brain It is also responsible for speech,
learning, personality and memory.

The Brain Stem

Spinal Cord Found at the bottom of the brain,
this part is responsible for keeping
the automatic, involuntary parts
of the body working, for example
allowing us to breathe and blink.

The right side of the brain

interacts mostly with the
The brain is an organ that is found inside The brain is constantly dealing with left-hand side of the body
the cranium and is connected to the top messages both from the world around and vice versa.
of the spinal cord. The brain is the control us and from the body. The brain controls
centre for the rest of the body. how we think and react.

The average Sugar

human brain Sugar

weighs 1.5kg.
1kg = a big
The human brain uses around
bag of sugar. 20% of the body’s energy.

10 11
 How Does
the Heart Work?
The Heart
Before each
heartbeat,
the heart fills

and Blood
with blood.

The right side of the

heart receives blood
The heart is a muscular organ that is responsible that has come from
for pumping blood all around the body. The heart is the body. As the heart
located slightly to the left of the centre of the chest beats, it pumps this
and is around the size of a fist. It is the central blood to the lungs,
point of the circulatory system. so that it can become
oxygenated.
Blood is the red liquid
found inside the body The left side of the heart
and it is made up of receives oxygenated
blood from the lungs.
three main parts: As the heart beats,
it pumps this blood
around the body.

After the blood has left the heart, it travels

down a series of arteries, taking oxygen
and nutrients to all the different parts of
the body. Once the blood has deposited
Red blood cells –
the oxygen and nutrients, it flows back The average person
carry oxygen
to the heart via a network of veins.
around the body has 4-6 litres of blood in
their body at one time.
White blood cells –
fight infection
In one day, your
blood travels 12,000
Platelets – miles around your
help the blood body. That’s like
to clot if the skin layers travelling from the
have been cut through UK to Hawaii!
or injured

12 13
 When we breathe in,

The
the diaphragm flattens to
allow the lungs to fill with
air. When you breathe out,

Respiratory
the diaphragm moves up to
push the air out of the lungs.

System
The respiratory system consists of the group of organs
that are responsible for taking oxygen into the body
and expelling waste products such as carbon dioxide.
Adult

The average person breathes in 11,000

1. When we 2. The air 3. The trachea 4. The bronchi
litres of air every day. That’s the same
take a breath, travels down branches into lead down into capacity as a cement mixer!
oxygen enters our windpipe, two tubes the lungs.
our body which is also called bronchi. Our rate of breathing
through our known as the 10 Years
nose or mouth. trachea. changes throughout
our life.
3 Years
As you breathe in, oxygen in Alveoli
the lungs passes through the
alveoli into the bloodstream.
The blood travels back to the Birth
heart ready to be pumped
around the body.
There
When you breathe out, the Bronchioles
process happens in reverse.
are around
Waste gases, such as carbon 600 million
dioxide, transfer into the alveoli in
alveoli and travel out of our your lungs. 30-60 20-30 17-23 12-20
bodies as we breathe out. Diaphragm breaths per breaths per breaths per breaths per
minute minute minute minute

14 15
 Sight
Our eyes work with our brain to tell us

The a
the size, shape, texture and colour of

The Five Senses objects around us. Our eyes also help

vera
us to establish how far away an
object is from us.

ge
ye e
ll w

ba
eig
hs
Lens – focuses 7g
ram
light onto the s.
retina
Taste Sight Smell Touch Hearing

The nervous system includes specific organs

M i c ro v il li
that allow us to experience the five senses.
They work together to give the brain a clear
picture of what is happening around us.
Retina – the lining
at the back of the eye Optic Nerve – carries

Taste that contains cells that

are sensitive to light
messages to the brain
about what we are seeing

Our sense of taste starts at the taste

buds on our tongue. Taste buds have
very sensitive hairs, called microvilli,
which send messages to the brain that
informs us about how something tastes.

cm
The tongue can taste five different flavours:

Smell

8.8
The nose is the organ that we
use to smell. Inside the nose is
the nasal cavity, which is lined
with special receptors that are
sensitive to odour molecules.
These receptors communicate The largest nose
Bitter Sour Salty Sweet Umami smells to the brain. was measured at
8.8cm long.

Almost everything we taste is a combination of these flavours.

16 17
 Hearing Touch
Nerves in the skin and other parts of the
We use our ears to help us hear the sounds around us. Sound travels into the inner
body send information to our brain about
The ear is made of three separate parts: the outer ear, ear, which is shaped like a spiral
the things we touch and feel.
the middle ear and the inner ear. and is also called the cochlea.
It changes sounds into messages
Inner Ear Middle Ear Outer Ear that can be communicated to
the brain. Cold

So
un Hot
d

Pressure

Pain

There are four kinds of touch sensation.

Together, these create our sense of touch.

The fingertips, lips and

feet are some of the most
sensitive parts of the body.

Sitting next to a loud

speaker with a
volume of around
120 decibels can
damage your
hearing in 7.5
minutes.

Although your brain is receiving messages all the time, it filters out those that are less
important. That’s why you cannot constantly feel your clothes against your skin.
18 19
 How do
The we Become
Immune Immune?
System
We become immune to
infection in two main ways:

Our immune system works When the body is invaded, if the

to keep us healthy and defend lymphocytes recognise the invaders,
us against organisms that invade they will lock on to them. The lymphocytes
will then produce lots of antibodies that
the body and can cause infection
are specifically designed to attack the
or disease. invaders, which then travel around the
body destroying the invading cells.
Some of the most important cells in the
immune system are the white blood cells.
These cells come in two main types: Natural immunity – we gain a natural
immunity to some illnesses from
Phagocytes – these destroy our mothers. We get some of our The body is exposed to millions of
invading organisms natural immunity just by growing in germs every day, but our immune
the womb and the rest we get from system usually kills them before
The invader is then engulfed
feeding on our mother’s milk. they can make us unwell.
and destroyed by phagocytes.

Lymphocytes – these remember and

recognise organisms that have already
invaded the body and help the body
to destroy them in the future

The average person has around 50

billion white blood cells in their body
– that’s the same amount as seven
Acquired immunity – our bodies also
learn to become immune to some
illnesses over time. Our bodies catch
different diseases and infections and
the next time these same illnesses
invade our body, the body knows
7,000
There are 7,000 white blood
times the population of planet Earth! how to destroy them. cells in a microlitre of blood.
20 21
 The baby is protected
by a sack of clear fluid,
Umbilical Cord called amniotic fluid,

Reproduction which acts as a cushion.

and Birth While the baby is growing,

nutrients from the food that
the mother eats and oxygen
from the air that she breathes
are given to the baby via the
Human reproduction happens when placenta, which is an organ
a sperm cell from a male and an egg that develops during pregnancy.
cell from a female join, develop and The placenta is connected to
eventually grow into a baby. the baby via the umbilical cord.

Egg

Sperm
A mother carries a baby for Cervix
As the baby is born,
around nine months before
it passes through the
giving birth.
Birth Canal cervix and is pushed
down the birth canal.
An embryo is
around the size
of a poppy seed!
Foetus

Embryo

4 weeks 12 weeks 20 weeks 30 weeks 40 weeks

Did you know? The majority of Caucasian babies are born
with blue eyes. Their eyes then change to their true eye
0.2cm long
0.0003 grams
5.4cm long
14 grams
26cm long
288 grams
40cm long
1400 grams
51cm long
3,400 grams
colour within a few months or remain blue.
22 23
 Over time, muscles begin to reduce in size and lose their strength.

Growth
The body is made up of different types of
cells and in order to grow, these cells must
multiply. Cells continue to be produced
throughout a person’s life; however,
this is most important when a person At 25, our muscles are By 45 we have ... and by 85 we have
is very young and growing quickly. working as effectively as 90% muscle strength ... 55% muscle strength.
possible and so we have
100% muscle strength.

The amount that our

bones grow decides
how tall we become.
Our bones continue
Human hair grows at an
to grow until we are average rate of 15cm a year.
around 25 years old.

1875
The only parts of the body that
never stop growing are those
that are made of cartilage.
This includes the nose and ears.
Boys tend to grow most quickly between
the ages of 12 and 15. Girls tend to grow
As we get older, gravity has a greater
effect on the back bone and causes the
sections of the vertebral column to press
closer together, which leads to people
1997 The oldest person ever to have
lived is Jeanne Calment, who
most quickly between 10 and 14. getting shorter as they get older. lived for 122 years and 164 days.
24 25
 Water
It is important for our bodies that
we stay well hydrated – this means 5-8 years old = 5 glasses
drinking plenty of water. of water per day

Healthy Living Exercise

Exercising makes you feel strong and
healthy. It has lots of other benefits too:
In order to remain healthy, the body needs the
right amount of food, water, rest and exercise. 9-12 years old = 7 glasses
of water per day

Diet
It is important to eat a balanced diet. There are five main food groups:
Fats
Makes muscles Helps you to
give us energy and
stronger feel happy
provide a layer of fat
on our bodies that
keeps us warm Protein 13+ years old = 8-10
helps our body glasses of water per day
to repair itself

Rest
Dairy
a good source of
calcium, which helps Vitamins
to build healthy and minerals Keeps your weight Reduces the risk
While asleep, the body is busy
bones and teeth do a vast range repairing and strengthening
at a healthy level of illness
of jobs including itself. Our brain cannot function
healing wounds
properly without sleep.
Carbohydrates

10-11
used by the body
to give us energy A balanced
diet and plenty
of exercise helps
to keep us
healthy.
Most children between the
ages of 5 and 12 years old
need 10-11 hours of sleep
Exercise can be anything from a game of per night.
football to running up and down the stairs.
26 27
 t tongue is 10
the longes .1c

Record
fo r m
rd
co

.
re
The

Breakers 369cm
The length of the world’s longest
fingernails – that’s almost as long
as a volkswagon beetle!

663g
The most jelly
eaten with
chopsticks in
one minute

58cm long

5.6m
The longest sword
ever swallowed

77
The tallest man
ever to have lived is The record for
Robert Wadlow, who The longest head hair ever the most star
was measured at recorded belonged to Xie jumps in one
Qiuping and measured 5.6m. minute is 77.
2.72m tall. She has been growing her
hair since 1973.
See how many
you can do!
28 29
 Glossary

1
antibodies blood proteins that attack specific foreign substances in the body
arteries 
tubes that carry blood away from the heart and to the rest of the body
automatically 
doing something independently, without being controlled by

Activity something else

carbon dioxide a natural, colourless gas found in the air
cartilage  a strong tissue found in joints and other places
around the body, including the nose, ears and throat
caucasian  white-skinned

2
Ask a parent or friend to collect cells the smallest units that make up all living things
a selection of objects that have
a range of different textures and circulatory system  responsible for moving blood around the body
shapes. Without looking, feel inside clot when blood turns into a gel-like state to prevent blood loss
the bag and see how many of the when the skin layers are broken, usually after an injury occurs
objects you can identify correctly
just using your sense of touch. contract to become shorter or smaller
decibels the units used to measure how loud a sound is
deposited to leave something somewhere
Pick up two pencils.

3
Hold one in each embryo a baby that has been developing in its
hand and spread mother’s uterus for less than eight weeks
your arms wide. fibres thread like structures
Close one eye and
try to bring the foetus a baby that has been developing in its mother’s womb
pencils together so for more than eight weeks and has started to grow organs
their ends touch.
Did you miss? microlitre one millionth of a litre
odour molecules the particles that make smells
organisms individual plants, animals or cells
oxygenated to have added oxygen to something
Now try with both
regulate control or maintain something
eyes open and see the
difference. What do you reproduction the process of having young
think this tells us about
how our eyes work veins tubes that carry blood back to the heart
together? vital organs organs inside the body that are essential to
our survival, for example the heart and lungs

30 31
 Index
cells 5, 12, 17, 20–22, 24
babies 22–23
birth canal 23
blood 12–14, 20–21
bones 6–7, 9, 24–26
healthy 7, 20, 26–27
infection 12, 20–21
involuntary 8–9, 11
microvilli 16
muscles 6, 8–9, 11, 25, 27
organs 6, 10, 12, 14, 16–17, 23
oxygen 12–14, 23
sleep 27
spinal cord 10
voluntary 8–9

32