Most sensitive part of the human body

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the sensitivity of various parts of the human body, particularly comparing the index finger, clitoris, eye, lips, thumb, and tongue. Participants explore the concept of sensitivity in terms of touch and pain perception, as well as the anatomical basis for these sensations.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that the index finger is the most sensitive part of the body, while others propose the clitoris holds this title.
  • One participant questions the sensitivity of the human eye, specifically regarding touch, and another clarifies that the cornea has many nerve endings.
  • A participant expresses surprise at the idea that the eye has no nerves, later correcting this by stating that the cornea does have nerve endings.
  • There is a discussion about the concept of sensitivity relating to the ability to discriminate between different types of sensations, with fingers being noted for their ability to detect various stimuli.
  • Some participants argue that while the eye may feel more painful sensations, it lacks the ability to discriminate between different types of touch compared to fingers.
  • Another participant mentions that the lips and thumb are often considered the most sensitive parts of the body, supported by references to the somatosensory cortex.
  • The tongue is also brought into the conversation as potentially the most sensitive area, with one participant asserting that it can detect sensations more acutely than other body parts.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on which body part is the most sensitive, with no consensus reached. The discussion includes multiple competing perspectives on sensitivity and the anatomical basis for these sensations.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference various anatomical features and sensory functions without providing definitive conclusions. The discussion includes assumptions about the definitions of sensitivity and the criteria for comparison among body parts.

fluidistic
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Hello,
I've been taught in high school that the most sensitive part of the human body was the index finger. However recently I've read that it is the clitoris...
But I've a doubt if it is true. I'd like to know the sensitivity of the human eye. I don't have any anatomy book nor medical book. Wikipedia doesn't say anything about it...
I'd be glad if you could tell me the eye' sensitivity. (of touch of course).
Thank you.
 
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Zero - you don't have any nerves on the bits of your eye you can touch ( cornea )
 
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Thanks for the answer mgb_phys. That really surprises me! I feel that if I put my finger on my eye it will hurts (especially if my finger is dirty). How is that possible if I have no nerve?
 
Sorry I was wrong, the surface of the front of your eye - the cornea, does have lots of nerve endings.
Oddly it doesn't have any blood vessels - must have been what I was remembering.
 
mgb_phys said:
Zero - you don't have any nerves on the bits of your eye you can touch ( cornea and sclera)

That's incorrect. Sensory information from the cornea is transmitted to to the brain via the trigeminal nerve.

(Edit: You updated your remark while I was still typing.)

I think when they talk about sensitivity, though, they're talking about the ability to discriminate what part of the organ is being touched, or 2-point perception (i.e., if you move two pins closer and closer together, how far apart are they when you can no longer detect them as two separate points). The fingers are best at that.
 
I think when they talk about sensitivity, though, they're talking about the ability to discriminate what part of the organ is being touched, or 2-point perception (i.e., if you move two pins closer and closer together, how far apart are they when you can no longer detect them as two separate points).
I mostly agree with that, but I remember I've read the number of ... nerves (I don't remember the name sorry) can be calculated for a given area so it is possible to compare a region of the body with another in term of the number of these cells or whatever they are.
If I've time I'll search for it on the Internet and post it here. The index finger has a lot but not that much as the clitoris does. I was curious about the eye. I feel that my eye feels much more than my index. For example if a fly walk over my index I'd feel it and it would tickle me, while on my eye it would hurt really bad.
 
fluidistic said:
I feel that my eye feels much more than my index. For example if a fly walk over my index I'd feel it and it would tickle me, while on my eye it would hurt really bad.

That doesn't mean it's more sensitive. It means your finger can discriminate better among different types of sensations. The eye can pretty much only detect pain...light touch, big poke, it's all the same sensation. The finger can discriminate among many different types of sensation...pain, light touch, pressure, temperature.
 
You're right Moonbear. I guess that's because fingers have a lot of different specified cells that can measure pressure, heat and so on. While the eye has probably one type of them or mostly one type of them.
But still, if I have a dust on my finger I wouldn't know it while on my eye yes. I believe that the eye is more sensitive in this case.
 
Hi all,

Normally the most sensitive part is lips, followed by thumb.

http://faculty.etsu.edu/currie/images/homunculus1.JPG
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #10
Somasimple is correct to point out that what we usually think of in common speech as "sensitivity" maps very well onto the size of representation in somatosensory cortex. Thus the lips and thumb are the most sensitive. It is interesting to wonder about why this correspondence exists...
 
  • #11
Cincinnatus said:
Thus the lips and thumb are the most sensitive. It is interesting to wonder about why this correspondence exists...
Simple: Taste and Touch => two senses that help while you discover the world around yourself. BTW, they are quite the same as a single cell.
 
  • #12
Don't discount your tongue. A stray hair (head or face) can feel like a log on your tongue. I don't know anywhere else on the body that's more sensitive than that.
 
  • #13
You're right! Tongue wins.
 
  • #14
I think it's the ego.
 
  • #15
marcusl said:
I think it's the ego.
:smile:
 

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