Coral - Page 1

We have all seen the beauty of corals, be it on television, in books and magazines or on actual visits to coral reefs. But not many of us know that despite their appearance, corals are not rocks or plants. They are, in fact, sensitive, living animals.

Take the sea-fan coral shown here. It is one of the most beautiful corals in our waters and deserves to be protected for this fact alone But the sea-fan and other corals also form reefs which act as "wave breakers" that help protect our beautiful Malaysian shoreline. Yet there are people who unwittingly destroy all this natural beauty..

Imagine this scene: a young boy is rushed into the emergency ward of a hospital. His right leg has been hopelessly crushed by a freak accident. The doctors heat-treat some coral and use it to bind the crushed bone fragments together. Six weeks later, the boy is walking again.

A recent breakthrough in orthopaedic surgery uses coral as an excellent substitute for human bone. The coral is heat-treated to convert it into the same minerals as bone so it is not rejected by the body. However, this is not the only medical benefit we can derive from our coral reefs.

It has been proven that the coral reef is a medical storehouse... an underwater pharmacy, if you like. Marine life from coral reefs can combat various diseases caused by bacteria or viruses. It already helps in the treatment of cancer and heart disease. Who knows, one day the treatment for AIDS could very well be developed from it.

Many of the miracles of modern medicine come from nature itself. We have obtained a variety of medicines from an ecosystem as diverse and complex as the tropical rainforest. However, many of us have overlooked another ecosystem which is even greater in its biodiversity. The CORAL REEF.

Coral, a living animal itself, is home to a vast variety of marine life, from plants to fish to crustaceans. It has been proven that the coral reef is a medical storehouse, an underwater pharmacy. Marine life from coral reefs produces biological active compounds which can combat various diseases caused by bacteria or viruses. The treatment for AIDS could very well be developed from coral. Even the skeletons of coral have a role to play. A recent breakthrough in orthopaedic surgery uses coral as an excellent substitute for human bone, being heat-treated to convert it into the same minerals as bone, the coral is not rejected by the body. As you can see, coral and the life they sustain, are a rich reservoir of medical and pharmaceutical materials.