A Smashing Demonstration

Thursday morning we backtracked a little and revisited the basic structure of the brain and the importance of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).  Tamdin (one of the Tibetan translators) went to the monastery kitchen and asked for two raw eggs.  In the meantime, I set to work to create a “head.”

I took two large plastic water bottles and cut a slit near the top of each one.   Then I slipped one egg into each of the bottles and taped the slit closed.  I filled one bottle completely full of water and left one bottle empty except for the egg.  The water bottle represented the skull, the water represented CSF fluid and the egg represented the brain.

Because one function of the CSF is the buffer the brain and to limit its motion within the skull, I wanted to show this is in way to make a real “impact.”  Several monks followed me to a balcony outside of the classroom, while other monks went into the monastery courtyard below.