0:00:24 > 0:00:30He's Dr Chris and he's Dr Xand. Yup, we're twins.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34Do you know just how brilliant your body really is?
0:00:34 > 0:00:36Now's the time to find out.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39We'll uncover the ins and outs of what you're made of.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43I've got a big hole in my head.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45We'll be doing awesome experiments...
0:00:45 > 0:00:50You sound ridiculous! Pipe down, squeaky!
0:00:50 > 0:00:53..as we push our own bodies to the limits...
0:00:53 > 0:00:57- OK, here we go. - It's hard to think it's so cold.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01..to show you all the incredible things your body can do.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05Hang around because this is gonna be fun.
0:01:05 > 0:01:06Arghhhhh!
0:01:06 > 0:01:08BOTH: Coming up on Operation Ouch!
0:01:10 > 0:01:13- We take a look at breathing. - Xand is blowing up a lung.
0:01:13 > 0:01:18We show how this man is skinny in more ways than one and Chris gets
0:01:18 > 0:01:23picky as we find out all about the stuff that comes out of your nose.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27But now... Let's see our first patient in Accident & Emergency.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29This is not for the faint hearted.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35Rushed into hospital in Liverpool today is Joe
0:01:35 > 0:01:38and he's got a worrying eye injury.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42It certainly looks sore, but how did it happen?
0:01:42 > 0:01:46Joe and his best mate were getting ready for tin can target practice.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49- That looks a bit dangerous. - Joe's mate had the pellet gun
0:01:49 > 0:01:54and thought he had the safety catch switched on - but he didn't.
0:01:54 > 0:01:59- That is not good.- Nope and a plastic pellet hit Joe's eye.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01Bad news.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06Joe's learned the hard way that pellet guns are dangerous.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10- What will you do when you get home?- Throw them in the bin.
0:02:10 > 0:02:11'Sounds like a good idea to me.'
0:02:11 > 0:02:13- Not worth it, is it?- No.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17- 'But what about his friend?' - We've left his best friend,
0:02:17 > 0:02:21who shot him in the eye at home. He's mortified.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23It's just a BB gun, just a toy.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27We allowed them in the garden, shooting cans off the fence.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29You think it's OK, but it's not.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32He's scared because he can't see through his eye at the minute.
0:02:34 > 0:02:39'Eye specialist Dr Henri Sueke is here to find out what's going on.'
0:02:39 > 0:02:41We need to do is to check your vision
0:02:41 > 0:02:44and then I have to examine you under a microscope to see
0:02:44 > 0:02:47the extent of the injury.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51- First is a basic eyesight test. - Can you see the chart there?
0:02:51 > 0:02:54Cover your bad eye. Can you read from the top?
0:02:54 > 0:02:59S, Z, N, R, N, C, V, K, C, R...
0:02:59 > 0:03:03Joe switches eyes and Dr Henri tries a different test.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08Look at my hand, how many fingers.
0:03:08 > 0:03:09Two.
0:03:11 > 0:03:12Yeah - and now?
0:03:12 > 0:03:18I can't see them. I can't see...
0:03:18 > 0:03:21Things don't look good so Dr Henri uses a microscope to get
0:03:21 > 0:03:24a closer look at the damage to Joe's eye.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27I'm glad to say it looks like you've been very lucky.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34The ball bearing's actually - it's just sort of - hasn't gone
0:03:34 > 0:03:37into the eye - it's just scratched the surface of the eye.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40But saying that your vision will be very hazy
0:03:40 > 0:03:43because there's blood inside the eye.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46Your eye is about two thirds the size of a ping pong ball.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49At the front is the cornea and the doctor can see where the
0:03:49 > 0:03:52pellet has scratched the surface.
0:03:52 > 0:03:58At the back of the eye sits the retina, which enables you to see.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01Because of the blood it's very hard to see the back.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03The blood in Joe's eye
0:04:03 > 0:04:07means that Dr Henri can't see the inside of the eye clearly so
0:04:07 > 0:04:11he can't tell at this stage whether Joe has permanent eye damage.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14The doctors decide to send Joe home, but he has to
0:04:14 > 0:04:17come back again so his eye can be monitored.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20Before he goes, he gets patched up.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23We can get a pirate one for you if you want. No?
0:04:23 > 0:04:26Less of the pirate jokes. We'll be back later to see
0:04:26 > 0:04:28how Joe's eye is doing.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37This is where we're going to put our bodies to
0:04:37 > 0:04:40the test to show you how your body works.
0:04:40 > 0:04:41Ow, that really hurt.
0:04:41 > 0:04:46Don't try anything you see here at home. Today, we look at breathing.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49Take a deep breath.
0:04:49 > 0:04:54You can try it at home. Breathing is essential to make our bodies work.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57We do it without even thinking about it.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00But why? How do our lungs work?
0:05:00 > 0:05:03What is it that makes us breathe?
0:05:03 > 0:05:04What are you doing?
0:05:04 > 0:05:09I've got the innards from a pig. I know it looks like a meat counter
0:05:09 > 0:05:11but one of the things I've got here is a pig's lung.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15So have a look and see if you figure out which one it is.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19- Have you worked it out? - Why don't you show us, Xand?
0:05:19 > 0:05:21I'm gonna inflate the lung.
0:05:25 > 0:05:30- Is it that then?- No!- You blow up the pig and the pig blows back.
0:05:30 > 0:05:35- It blew right back.- Keep blowing, keep breathing in and out.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38A pig's lung works exactly the same as ours.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41When you breathe in and out, you take oxygen
0:05:41 > 0:05:44out of the air and you breathe out carbon dioxide,
0:05:44 > 0:05:47which is a waste gas - it's like a car's exhaust pipe.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49The inside of your lung is like a sponge -
0:05:49 > 0:05:53it's got millions of little air spaces in it called alveoli.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56And it's inside these alveoli where oxygen is absorbed
0:05:56 > 0:06:00and is sent to wherever it's needed all over your body.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03These pockets inside the lung have a huge surface area -
0:06:03 > 0:06:07the bigger the area the more oxygen that can be absorbed.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11That's the important thing - these air spaces.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14The surface area that they give. If you spread out
0:06:14 > 0:06:19all the alveoli you'd have the same surface area as a tennis court.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22When you breathe in, your lungs take
0:06:22 > 0:06:25the oxygen from the air for your body and when you
0:06:25 > 0:06:30breathe out you expel the carbon dioxide that your body doesn't need.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34What happens in your body when you hold your breath? Let's find out.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36This machine is a capnometer.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39It'll measure carbon dioxide that Xand's breathing
0:06:39 > 0:06:43out and it's also gonna shine a laser through his finger
0:06:43 > 0:06:46and measure the amount of oxygen in his blood.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48The carbon dioxide level's about 5
0:06:48 > 0:06:52and his oxygen levels are about 95%, both of which are normal.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56- Now I'm going to hold my breath. - No, now you should hold your breath.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00- I said I'll hold my breath. - Just hold your breath.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04So at first nothing much changes apart from the fact that the
0:07:04 > 0:07:05machine thinks you're dead.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08You're not dead but the machine thinks you're dead
0:07:08 > 0:07:11because it's not detecting you breathing out.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15You've got enough oxygen in your body for
0:07:15 > 0:07:18about 5-10 minutes of life, but Xand won't make it that long
0:07:18 > 0:07:22because the rising levels of carbon dioxide in his blood are gonna
0:07:22 > 0:07:25make him absolutely desperate to breathe.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28'It's the carbon dioxide build-up in your blood
0:07:28 > 0:07:30'that tells your body to breathe
0:07:30 > 0:07:32'before your oxygen runs out.'
0:07:33 > 0:07:37On my count I want you to breathe out slowly
0:07:37 > 0:07:39through the machine. Go.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42XAND BREATHES OUT
0:07:42 > 0:07:45In Xand's last breath he had high carbon dioxide levels,
0:07:45 > 0:07:49but his oxygen levels never really went that low.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53'Although the machine shows Xand's oxygen level is almost normal,
0:07:53 > 0:07:57'his carbon dioxide level has risen significantly.'
0:07:57 > 0:08:01So what we see from this is that long before I was gonna run
0:08:01 > 0:08:05out of oxygen the rising carbon dioxide levels in my blood
0:08:05 > 0:08:08were forcing me to breathe.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12'So you can breathe easy knowing that your body is working hard to
0:08:12 > 0:08:16'look after itself by getting rid of all that carbon dioxide
0:08:16 > 0:08:19'and sending all the good stuff - oxygen - around your body.'
0:08:21 > 0:08:25It's not only teams in hospitals that deal with the unexpected.
0:08:25 > 0:08:30If you have an accident there'll be a medical crew ready to help.
0:08:30 > 0:08:35Throughout this series we've been on call with emergency medical teams
0:08:35 > 0:08:38and seen them use some of the life-saving equipment
0:08:38 > 0:08:44they carry with them at all times. And out of all their kit,
0:08:44 > 0:08:48we've picked three of the coolest that help save lives everyday.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53The nebuliser. It can help patients with breathing difficulties,
0:08:53 > 0:08:56just light Kiri here.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00So now we're gonna give a nebuliser, which is a mist of drug that can
0:09:00 > 0:09:03penetrate into the lungs, open up the breathing passages
0:09:03 > 0:09:06and hopefully she'll feel better and easier breathing.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09'Remember James? He was having problems breathing
0:09:09 > 0:09:12'and the nebuliser came to his rescue.'
0:09:12 > 0:09:16Is that helping at all with the breathing? It is. Good.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19Second on the kit list is gas and air.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22This is a mixture of half oxygen half nitrous oxide.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26It numbs pain and makes patients more comfortable
0:09:26 > 0:09:28so that they can be treated properly.
0:09:28 > 0:09:33We were called out to see Saffron who had a broken collarbone.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37I've got some gas and air. Put it in your mouth and breathe in.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40Take big lungfuls of gas - just keep breathing.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44- Every time you feel pain take a deep breath.- You're doing brilliantly.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48Saffron looks much better with the gas and air and with the sling.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Her arm's immobilised colour's come back
0:09:51 > 0:09:54to her cheeks - she's looking much, much better.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58Kathleen had a fall and we suspected she had a broken hip so we gave her
0:09:58 > 0:10:02gas and air before moving her into the ambulance.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05You're doing a really nice job there.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09And our third piece of emergency kit is the ECG monitor.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11ECG stands for Electrocardiograph
0:10:11 > 0:10:15and it's a real star in the emergency medical team's kit.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18One of the most noticeable things about emergencies
0:10:18 > 0:10:20is you need a lot of equipment.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24I'm carrying the monitor. It checks blood pressure, heart rate,
0:10:24 > 0:10:28oxygen levels and if the heart needs a shock it can give a shock as well.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31Remember Ivanna? She had an asthma attack and the
0:10:31 > 0:10:35ECG attached to her body was used to monitor her recovery
0:10:35 > 0:10:37Jan is using her monitor
0:10:37 > 0:10:41to get lots of measurements off the patient.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45She's checking her blood pressure, if she's got a temperature,
0:10:45 > 0:10:48her pulse and she's checking the oxygen level in her blood.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51'Back to Kiri, who was having breathing problems.
0:10:51 > 0:10:56'The ECG was running to check that she was responding to the treatment.'
0:10:56 > 0:11:01- There's nothing abnormal.- That is a very normal recording of your heart.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05So there you have it. Three star pieces from the kit that
0:11:05 > 0:11:10emergency medical teams carry with them everywhere they go
0:11:10 > 0:11:13and that they use for life-saving treatments.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17Still to come - find out what happens
0:11:17 > 0:11:21when you burn your skin. There's a mind-bending trick to
0:11:21 > 0:11:27try on your mates and things get sticky when I investigate snot.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29Yuk.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37One of the reasons is because your hands have better blood circulation.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39That's amazing and so is this.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45An ordinary day in an ordinary garden. This man's making the most
0:11:45 > 0:11:49of the good weather - stripy deckchair - knotted handkerchief
0:11:49 > 0:11:54- and bright blue shoes.- Cool shoes, but what's so amazing?
0:11:54 > 0:11:55Just you watch this.
0:11:57 > 0:12:03- That is stretchy. - Stretchy is right. This is Gary
0:12:03 > 0:12:09- and he has the world's stretchiest skin.- That's a handy trick if you
0:12:09 > 0:12:14forget your sunglasses - or that one if you don't want to be recognised.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17Doesn't hurt at all - I can just pull it away as many
0:12:17 > 0:12:21times as I like and it just naturally stretches.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25But don't go trying this yourself - Gary has actually got a rare
0:12:25 > 0:12:29skin condition that makes his skin this stretchy.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31I've got stretchy skin because I've got
0:12:31 > 0:12:35a lack of collagen - it's also twice as thin as normal skin.
0:12:35 > 0:12:40Collagen is a type of protein in the skin - it keeps skin flexible
0:12:40 > 0:12:43but strong. The collagen in Gary's skin doesn't work in
0:12:43 > 0:12:47the same way as yours so he can do stuff like this.
0:12:47 > 0:12:52When I stretch and see people's reactions it's quite funny.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55It's enabled me to travel the world doing shows
0:12:55 > 0:12:59and I've really had a great time doing it.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01That's amazing.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10Xand - it's not amazing.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13Let's head down to Accident & Emergency to see
0:13:13 > 0:13:15how our patient is doing.
0:13:15 > 0:13:20Back in Alder Hey, 11-year-old Joe came into hospital unable to
0:13:20 > 0:13:22see properly out of one eye.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24I can't see it.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26Joe was accidentally shot in the eye with a pellet gun
0:13:26 > 0:13:28while playing with his mate.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31- What are you going to do?- Throw them in the bin.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34The bin's the best place for your pellet gun.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37Doctors examined his eye, but the blood in it
0:13:37 > 0:13:39stopped them from getting a proper look.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42Since the accident, Joe's been back to the hospital
0:13:42 > 0:13:45several times for a scan and for some checkups.
0:13:45 > 0:13:50The good news is that his eye has healed all by itself.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53Mr William Newman, an eye specialist,
0:13:53 > 0:13:56wants to check up for possible longer term damage.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59Look ahead to start with.
0:13:59 > 0:14:00The blood in Joe's eye has
0:14:00 > 0:14:04cleared so it's now possible to see exactly what's going on.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07It's time to check the pressure inside the eye
0:14:07 > 0:14:10using this device for signs of any long-term damage.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13What we're worried about now is to measure
0:14:13 > 0:14:16your eyes and make sure your eyesight stays good
0:14:16 > 0:14:19and that you don't develop glaucoma, which is pressure
0:14:19 > 0:14:23in the eye and that can happen because of damage that
0:14:23 > 0:14:26you can't see when I look where the blood vessels broke.
0:14:26 > 0:14:31That's what the doctor's worried about. What's Joe got on his mind?
0:14:31 > 0:14:35- Can I play football again?- Yes, you can go back to playing football.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38Stick to the football and no more pellet guns.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42- OK? Cheerio.- See ya.- Have fun going back to your football.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49We know loads of fantastic body tricks to amaze
0:14:49 > 0:14:52and confuse your friends like this one.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55- This is a good trick.- You're gonna like this.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59I'm standing so my fingertips are just touching the wall.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02When I say so Chris is gonna move his arms round in a circle
0:15:02 > 0:15:06and try and touch the wall again but I'll push the wall away from him.
0:15:06 > 0:15:11- Go. Aaarrrggghhh!- Your mates will think that their arms have shrunk.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14- Actually, I pushed the wall. - No, you didn't.
0:15:14 > 0:15:19Yes, I did - frankly I'm amazed this building is still standing.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21'Of course Xand didn't really move the wall.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24'When I rotated my arms, the muscles in my shoulders
0:15:24 > 0:15:28'tightened up meaning I couldn't stretch my arms as far -
0:15:28 > 0:15:32'simple, give it a try and see if you can fool your friends.'
0:15:34 > 0:15:39We're hitting part of the hospital that you haven't seen before.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42Today we're in the burns aftercare clinic.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47On Operation Ouch! we've seen our fair share of burns, scrapes,
0:15:47 > 0:15:51cuts and all sorts of gory bits but what happens afterwards -
0:15:51 > 0:15:56all those injuries start to heal and often they form scars on your skin.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59Look at this - last week I burnt my arm on the cooker.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02Now your body's good at repairing itself
0:16:02 > 0:16:05and this has started to heal, but if it had been a more serious
0:16:05 > 0:16:10burn that could leave a scar and that would require careful treatment.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13When you injure yourself the body heals the wound with
0:16:13 > 0:16:17scar tissue - this looks and feels quite different to normal skin -
0:16:17 > 0:16:20it's not as flexible and the bigger
0:16:20 > 0:16:23and deeper the injury the bigger the scar.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26I'm with scar and burns specialist Kevin Ryan to
0:16:26 > 0:16:29check up on some of the patients he's treating.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32First in is Holly who took a bit of a tumble five months ago.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35If you're squeamish get ready to look away.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37Holly, why are you here?
0:16:37 > 0:16:42There was a tree stump on a hill and I fell over it.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44So can I see what happened?
0:16:44 > 0:16:47One month later and the skin's started to heal,
0:16:47 > 0:16:51but there's a lot of this pus infection there and then this
0:16:51 > 0:16:54is now five months later and you can see it's all healed.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58A bit of scar, but that's gonna keep getting better and better.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01'Holly is being fitted with a stocking that will help
0:17:01 > 0:17:03'the scar continue to improve.'
0:17:03 > 0:17:06As Holly's wounds have a long time to heal the scar is more
0:17:06 > 0:17:10severe if you like and so by making a little stocking that
0:17:10 > 0:17:14presses on that it'll get nicer result is that right?
0:17:14 > 0:17:16That's what we're hoping for.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20'Jensen is having a check up on a burn he got four weeks ago.'
0:17:20 > 0:17:22Tell us how this happened.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24A pie dropped on my leg.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26You dropped a pie on your leg?
0:17:26 > 0:17:28What type of pie was it?
0:17:28 > 0:17:31- Cheese and onion. - Cheese and onion pie?
0:17:31 > 0:17:35What would have concerned us would be if had he had raised scarring
0:17:35 > 0:17:37that would have contracted, but that's
0:17:37 > 0:17:42soft and supple so that shouldn't cause him any problems at all.
0:17:42 > 0:17:47The pinkness will be there for several weeks, but it will fade.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50If I press on it I can make the pinkness go away
0:17:50 > 0:17:52and that's the blood flowing back.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55Those blood vessels, that's part of the healing process.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58That's right it is, but very fragile.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01But they do take time, just takes several
0:18:01 > 0:18:03months for that to resolve.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07Ben also had an accident five months ago. This isn't for
0:18:07 > 0:18:11the fainthearted and unfortunately his burn injury got infected.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14To help it heal, the doctors took a patch of skin from his thigh
0:18:14 > 0:18:19to cover the injured part of his foot - this is called a skin graft.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21Why are you in the burns clinic today?
0:18:21 > 0:18:26I was making Mum and Dad a coffee - I had a music player
0:18:26 > 0:18:29with me that I'd put on the side while waiting
0:18:29 > 0:18:33for the kettle to boil and, because I had no pockets, I just thought
0:18:33 > 0:18:37of a quick way to carry it upstairs, I put it under my chin.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40- How were you holding it all? - I was holding it like that.
0:18:40 > 0:18:46What happened? I tried to lift my head up to see where I were going
0:18:46 > 0:18:50- You dropped the player and spilled hot coffee over your foot?- Yeah.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54'For Ben the question now is whether he can go swimming again.'
0:18:54 > 0:19:00- Shall we have a look at it and we'll give you an answer?- Yeah.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02Fantastic. Can't feel
0:19:02 > 0:19:05any signs of thickening there - it's just what we want.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08It's now fully healed.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11I thought that this was gonna look much more serious. That is
0:19:11 > 0:19:13such a good result.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17- In terms of swimming - no problem. - Brilliant.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20That's brilliant news - brilliant news.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24'Although the scars may not ever go away fully, thanks to these
0:19:24 > 0:19:28'treatments it means that life can get back to normal for these three.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30'Swimming for Ben, gymnastics for Holly
0:19:30 > 0:19:32'and cold pies only for Jensen.'
0:19:38 > 0:19:42Aatchoo! Does this look all right to you?
0:19:42 > 0:19:45No. This is a case for Investigation Ouch!
0:19:48 > 0:19:51Snot - what is it and where does it come from?
0:19:51 > 0:19:53And, since it's so delicious,
0:19:53 > 0:19:56why has nobody started a snot restaurant?
0:19:56 > 0:20:01I've come to Cardiff University's School of Biosciences to find out.
0:20:01 > 0:20:02Aatchoo!
0:20:04 > 0:20:07'This is Dr Kelly Berube and she's a snot expert.'
0:20:07 > 0:20:08What is snot?
0:20:08 > 0:20:12Snot is a natural polymer that you create as these are cells
0:20:12 > 0:20:15and all the mucus membranes that line all the
0:20:15 > 0:20:17areas of your body that are not exposed.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21This isn't real snot, but it's a mixture that Dr Kelly
0:20:21 > 0:20:24has made to show exactly why it needs to be so sticky.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28Anywhere where bacteria can get in, you need to have
0:20:28 > 0:20:30this material to keep them off.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33It's like fly paper so you inhale, it sticks on.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36The defender cells will say, "That shouldn't be in here,"
0:20:36 > 0:20:41goes in and kills them or you sneeze it, spit it or swallow it.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45Mucus protects the areas of your body connected to the outside world.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48You make mucus in your nose, your mouth,
0:20:48 > 0:20:53your gut, to your bum, also in your lungs and also covering your eyes.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56Mucus lubricates things so we have a poo - that's lubricated
0:20:56 > 0:20:58and it lubricates your tongue -
0:20:58 > 0:21:00if you have a dry mouth you can't speak -
0:21:00 > 0:21:03and your eye balls so they can move around.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05Snot is actually nasal mucus
0:21:05 > 0:21:09and when it dries it creates bogeys, but why do they taste salty?
0:21:09 > 0:21:12Snot contains lots of chemicals
0:21:12 > 0:21:14and one of them is salt.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17Hmmmm, that's handy to know for my snot restaurant menu.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19Your spit also contains
0:21:19 > 0:21:23snot and it's full of bacteria killing chemicals too.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26If all day, when you're well, you spat all your snot,
0:21:26 > 0:21:30blew your nose into a jar, you'd end up with this completely full.
0:21:30 > 0:21:31We think it's disgusting,
0:21:31 > 0:21:34but we're swallowing this stuff the whole time.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36Is it OK to pick my nose and eat it?
0:21:36 > 0:21:39Science says if you pick your nose
0:21:39 > 0:21:42and you eat it, you're spiking your immune system.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46There you go straight from the expert it is OK to eat your bogeys.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50- I'm gonna start.- Socially it might not be acceptable, but if you're a
0:21:50 > 0:21:53closet bogey eater, which I'm sure you are, then it's probably OK.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55I'm getting over a cold.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59My snot is definitely not a healthy colour like this.
0:21:59 > 0:22:04- This is what I've had the last few days.- At the beginning of a cold...
0:22:04 > 0:22:07What's happening now is that you bring in a lot of water
0:22:07 > 0:22:12that more mucus is being made and more water is being retained.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15'These liquids show how your snot can be different colours.'
0:22:15 > 0:22:19So what can we tell about someone from looking at their mucus?
0:22:19 > 0:22:23You can tell whether they're sick, what they like to eat
0:22:23 > 0:22:25and even where they live.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27- You can tell all that? - It's amazing.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30What can you tell me about my body?
0:22:30 > 0:22:34- We're gonna have to pick some out - are you game for that?- Yeah.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37So I'm taking a good sample of my snot on this sterile swab
0:22:37 > 0:22:39and now mucus from my lungs.
0:22:43 > 0:22:48- It's even making me sick.- 'Sorry. It is in the name of medical research.'
0:22:48 > 0:22:53It's a bit yellow. It's not bad, but there are flecks of grey.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55So it's time to get the results
0:22:55 > 0:22:57from all of my sticky mucus and snot.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00What can you tell from looking at this?
0:23:00 > 0:23:02If you look on the screen and the mucus is thick,
0:23:02 > 0:23:08but it's done what it's supposed to do, it's trapped sub-particles.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11You live in the big city so it's done a great job.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15- It looks like some pollen in there. - That's pollen.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17If you're riding a bike to work or walking,
0:23:17 > 0:23:22- you're gonna take it in quicker. - It doesn't mean you shouldn't cycle.
0:23:22 > 0:23:27No because the mucus has trapped it it's got trapped in the muscin.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30The mucus in my body is doing what it's supposed
0:23:30 > 0:23:33to do - it's trapped all the things that can cause me disease.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37I've been able to cough it up and get rid of it.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40So snot is amazing and vital for keeping you alive.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42There's nothing wrong with eating it.
0:23:42 > 0:23:47The only problem is harvesting enough to start my restaurant.
0:23:47 > 0:23:48Xand stop eating it.
0:23:48 > 0:23:49Oops, sorry!
0:24:11 > 0:24:15The average person produces around 500 litres of snot in a year -
0:24:15 > 0:24:17that's over a litre a day.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23In Accident and Emergency departments,
0:24:23 > 0:24:25doctors and nurses need to act fast.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28Especially when things like this happen.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31In Manchester, Rosie has been brought in by ambulance
0:24:31 > 0:24:34with a potentially serious head injury.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36Head injuries can be
0:24:36 > 0:24:40so serious that the hospital has a trauma team of 12 doctors and nurses
0:24:40 > 0:24:44on standby in case Rosie needs to have surgery or further tests.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47Speed is vital so everyone is ready for action.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50Rosie didn't recognise me.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53She looked quite unwell.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56It was worrying that I wasn't able to console her.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58She didn't know who I was.
0:24:58 > 0:25:04Luckily she recognises her dad now, but what actually happened?
0:25:04 > 0:25:07Rosie and her friends were in the playground.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10She and her friend were running in different directions
0:25:10 > 0:25:13to escape being tagged, but they were concentrating
0:25:13 > 0:25:17so hard on escaping that when they changed directions
0:25:17 > 0:25:21they headed straight towards each other and whack!
0:25:21 > 0:25:23They both banged their heads - hard!
0:25:23 > 0:25:26Time for a trip to hospital.
0:25:26 > 0:25:31Ouch. Meet Professor Simon Carley - he's heading up the trauma team.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35- Did you get a glucose.- Yes, it was 8.4.- Thank you very much.
0:25:35 > 0:25:40It sounds that her behaviour has not been normal and she's been vomiting.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42What the team's worried about is
0:25:42 > 0:25:45whether or not she's got any bleeding inside her skull
0:25:45 > 0:25:49that might be pressing on the brain.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53Professor Simon will need to examine Rosie's head, but in the meantime
0:25:53 > 0:25:57he prescribes some sophisticated emergency medicine - cuddles.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00Cuddles are slightly more effective than any medicines.
0:26:00 > 0:26:05And luckily there's a professor of cuddleology on hand - Dad!
0:26:05 > 0:26:08Time now for Rosie's special test on her head.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11It's called a CT scan - it's a bit like an X-ray
0:26:11 > 0:26:14and the images will show the details of Rosie's
0:26:14 > 0:26:17brain and skull to help him check for damage.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21Here we go. That's nice and comfy.
0:26:21 > 0:26:22Nice pinny, Dad.
0:26:22 > 0:26:26I want to take this home it's so nice.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29Actually the pinny means Dad can stay in the room with Rosie
0:26:29 > 0:26:32because it protects his body from the X-rays.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35A few snaps later and the results are in.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38This is Rosie's brain - so how's it looking?
0:26:38 > 0:26:42That looks like a normal skull - a normal brain.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44There's no evidence, that we can see,
0:26:44 > 0:26:47of any bleeding at all and that's great.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50It's a huge relief for Rosie's mum and dad and it means
0:26:50 > 0:26:54the reason she's been feeling unwell is she's got concussion.
0:26:54 > 0:26:58Inside your head your brain is surrounded by fluid to protect it.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01But sometimes when you bang your head hard, your brain
0:27:01 > 0:27:04moves about and knocks into the sides of your skull. This can
0:27:04 > 0:27:08make you feel confused, unwell and be sick.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10In Rosie's case these symptoms disappear
0:27:10 > 0:27:14and after a few hours rest there's been a transformation.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16I feel great.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20Believe it or not this is the same girl - back to normal
0:27:20 > 0:27:23- and ready to leave the hospital. - I'm going home!
0:27:23 > 0:27:27This has been quite an experience for Rosie and her family,
0:27:27 > 0:27:32but thanks to the skilled trauma team she's got her groove back.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35Bye, Rosie.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42Next time - find out what's happened to this funny looking arm,
0:27:42 > 0:27:45see what amazing body skill this man is hiding,
0:27:45 > 0:27:48and we find out how our skin protects us.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52We'll see you next time on Operation Ouch!
0:27:52 > 0:27:54Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd