132 GOOD HEALTH 



its usefulness : a healthy nose is a busy part of the 

 breathing machine, and it is well made. 



Feel the bone that is between your eyes: it is hard 

 and firm ; you cannot move it. Now take hold of the end 

 of your nose : see how you can bend it from side to side 

 like a piece of India rubber. If the whole nose were solid 

 bone from root to tip there might be broken noses at 

 every recess ; but the part that is hit most often can only 

 be hurt ; it cannot break because it is made of something 

 tough and limber called cartilage. 



The nostrils are openings of tubes that admit air to the 

 lungs. Feel the thin partition between them ; a few hairs 

 are inside of each nostril to help keep the dust out. 



The tear tube is there too. It runs from the pink 

 corner of the eye down into the upper part of the nose, 

 where the tears go. It is most busy and most useful 

 when you cry. Indeed, the reason that you need to blow 

 your nose very often just then is that a tiny stream of 

 salt water is running through the tear tube into the nose 

 and you must get rid of it. 



Without any doubt the lining of the nostril is as 

 interesting as any part of the nose. It is like a thin, 

 delicate lace work of small blood vessels, and it is called 

 the mucous membrane. This is where the mucous glands 

 are, and they send out a thick fluid that keeps the lining 

 damp. When you have a cold in the head it is these 

 glands that do the extra work of mucus making. Then 



