What is an injury?
An injury is physiological damage to the living tissue of any organism, whether in humans, in other animals, or in plants. It can be caused mechanically by sharp or blunt objects, by heat or cold, or by venoms and biotoxins.
Questions about Injury
Short answers, pulled from the story.
How does the body respond to an injury?
Injury prompts an inflammatory response in many taxa of animals, which leads to coagulation of the blood or body fluid and then wound healing. In both plants and animals, substances are released to occlude the wound, limit fluid loss, and block pathogens such as bacteria.
Can plants be injured like animals?
Yes, plants suffer injury from herbivorous animals eating plant parts, from pathogens such as bacteria and fungi, and from abiotic factors including heat, freezing, flooding, lightning, and pollutants such as ozone. Plants respond by signalling damage, sealing off the area, producing antimicrobial chemicals, and regrowing over wounds in woody species.
How are injuries in humans classified?
The World Health Organization developed a classification of injuries in humans by categories including the mechanism, the objects or substances producing the injury, the place of occurrence, the activity when injured, and the role of human intent.
What is cell injury?
Cell injury is a variety of stress changes a cell suffers due to external and internal environmental changes, caused by physical, chemical, infectious, biological, nutritional, or immunological factors. Cell damage can be reversible or irreversible, and cell death occurs when the severity of the injury exceeds the cell's ability to repair itself.
Can an injury cause psychological harm?
Yes, in addition to physical harm, injuries can cause psychological harm, including post-traumatic stress disorder. Injury in humans has been studied extensively in medicine, with emergency medicine and pain management dedicated to treating it.