374 Sympathy with the Organ of<Ta/le. {Book IX t 

 morrhage from the nofe is- more frequent than from 

 any other part of the body. 



In order to render this fenfe more acute, the internal 

 cavity of the nofe is varioufly contorted, and enlarged 

 by a communication with feveral adjoining cavities, 

 fo as to increafe very much the furface on which 

 the fentient membrane is distributed. The cavities 

 with which the noftril communicates are called finufes; 

 thefe are the frontal, which is feated in the frontal 

 bone under the eye-brows; the ethmoid, which is a 

 fpongy cavity in the ethmoid bone ; and the maxillary, 

 which is chiefly formed in the maxillary bone, and 

 lies immediately above the double teeth of the upper 

 jaw. In animals, which fmell more acutely, thefe 

 provifions for enlarging the internal furface of the 

 noflril are ftill more remarkable. 



The membrane of the nofe is defended and moif- 

 tened by a vifcid mucus j and fo neceiTary is this to 

 fmellmg, that when it is deficient, this fenfe is always 

 imperfect. The noftrils are furnimed with mufcles, 

 by which they are dilated, when, in order to diftin- 

 guifli fcents more accurately, we draw in a large 

 quantity of air. A conliderable difference between 

 fmelling and tafting is, that the former is only acted 

 on by the invifible effluvia of bodies which float in the 

 air, the latter, by matter more condenfed and vifible. 

 There feems, however, to be a greater fimilitude 

 between tafting and fmelling than between any two of 

 the other fenfes ; and when either of them is injured 

 the other commonly fuffers with it. 



