726 



NOSE. 



suture of the skull which remain longest un- 

 ossified : in ordinary cases, indeed, they do not 

 close even in the latest periods of life. This, in 

 some measure, distinguishes man from the other 

 quadrumana: in the Chimpanse, the nasal 

 bone is single; in the Orang, also, it usually 

 is so ; and in the adult Siamang (whose skull 

 approaches nearest in form to that of man) and 

 other Gibbons, the nasal bones are always 

 united.* But a more distinctive character is 

 the bieadth and shortness of these bones in 

 man, and the elevation of their inner borders, 

 on which the projection of the upper part of the 

 bridge of the nose depends; a projection in 

 which the nose of the lowest negro surpasses 

 that of either the Chimpanse or the Siamang. 



The structure of the bones of the nose pre- 

 sents little that is peculiar. The thin lamella of 

 the ethmoidal cells, the turbinated bones, and 

 others of similar structure, receive their mate- 

 rials of nutrition entirely from the bloodvessels 

 of the Schneiderian membrane. They contain 

 no vascular canals within their own substance. 

 Their corpuscles and minute canals which pro- 

 ceed from them are larger than those of average 

 size : the former are very numerous and closely 

 set, and the latter ramify in all directions ; 

 arrangements which seem to be adapted to the 

 combination of the least possible weight with 

 the necessary firmness of support. 



Cartilages of the nose. Of these, one com- 

 pletes the septum, and the rest form the skele- 

 ton of the lower and lateral portion of the exter- 

 nal nose. 



Fig. 401. 



The cartilages of the ala of the nose in situ. 



nued with a curve into the lower border (b), of 

 which a part fits in the same manner in the 

 anterior margin of the vomer, while the remain- 

 der projects straightforwards in front of the 

 anterior nasal spine, and forms the base and 

 middle part of the cohtmna (sous-doison,) or 

 partition between the apertures of the nostrils. 



.1 nusti. Anteriorly, this lower border of the cartila- 



The cartilage of the septum (septum mobile gj nous se ptum is continued with a curve which 



nasi) (fig- 400) is the only one immediately ' < *L~ < u.-. ir,*^ tV,o antPiW 



connected with the bones. It occupies, in ge- 

 neral, nearly the middle vertical plane of the 

 nose ; but, like the osseous septum, it often 

 deviates to one or the other side, and has sur- 

 faces more or less curved. Its outline varies 

 with the general shape of the nose, but is 

 usually bounded by three unequally curved 

 lines, of which the inferior is the longest, and 

 the anterior and superior are of about equal 

 length. Its superior border (a, Jig. 400) is 

 fixed in the whole length of the groove which 

 usually exists in the lower margin of the per- 

 pendicular plate of the ethmoid bone : it is 

 directed very obliquely backwards and down- 

 wards, and at its posterior extremity is conti- 



Cartilage of the septum nasi. 

 \, lateral ; 2, anterior view. 



* G. VroliV, Recherches d'Anatomie Comparce 

 sur le Chimpanse, p. 4. 



lies at the apex of the nose, into the anterior 

 border (r). This last lies immediately be- 

 neath the skin, and, becoming gradually thick- 

 er, is continued upwards to the junction of the 

 nasal bones, where the cartilage (at d) is 

 thicker than at any other part. 



Of the lateral cartilages, two on each side 

 are regularly found. The upper pair, (a, Jig. 

 401,) which are named superior, lateral, or 

 triangular cartilages, have each in general the 

 form of a triangle with its angles rounded off. 

 In front they are continuous, or very closely 

 connected with the upper half of the anterior 

 edge of the cartilage of the septum;* but each 

 of them projects a little beyond it, so that it 

 lies in a kind of groove between them; and, 

 sometimes, each is prolonged downwards in a 

 free sharp process by its side. Behind, they 

 are closely attached by nbro-cellular tissue to 

 the rough part of the free margins of the nasal 

 and superior maxillary bones. Below, their 

 margins are connected with the cartilages be- 

 neath them (I), Jig. 401) by a tough but thin 

 and pliant fibrous membrane, in which several 

 small oval portions of cartilage are sometimes 

 arranged in a row. 



The inferior cartilages (fig. 402, and b, fig. 

 401) are also called pinnal cartilages, or carti- 

 lages of the al<e, because they form the basis of 

 the more freely moveable lateral parts of the 



* Hence Winslow, Bichat, and some others 

 have described these as forming one nasal cartilage 

 with the septum, and have divided the inferior 

 cartilages into anterior and posterior portions. 



