736 NOSE. 
ing, the sensation which immediately precedes 
the act may be the consequence of direct irri- 
tation of the glottis, or of irritation of another 
such as the distant bronchial tubes, from 
which the impression is conveyed to the brain, 
and there, as it is supposed, is radiated to the 
central extremities of the nerves of the glottis, 
and is felt as if it were applied to their peri- 
pheral extremities. In either case the peculiar 
sensation at the glottis is the necessary pre- 
cedent of the act of coughing; and it is the 
same in sneezing. A sudden vivid impression 
of light upon the retina, or, sometimes, the 
irritation of a tender point on the skin of the 
face, produces a sensation of pain or irritation 
in the mucous membrane of the nose, and 
sneezing follows. The sequence of events may 
be supposed to be,—an impression on the peri- 
pheral filaments of the retina,—its conveyance 
to their central extremities in the brain,—its 
radiation to the central extremities of the sen- 
sitive nerves of the nose, producing the same 
sensation as if their peripheral extremities had 
been irritated,—and, through that sensation, 
whether it be objective or subjective, the half 
involuntary act. 
The great prominence of the external nose, 
and the comparative smallness of its internal 
cavities, form one of the most distinguishing 
characters of the human face. Cuvier has 
inted out how the relative proportion in size 
bctwieen the cranium and the cavities of the 
nose and mouth affords an indication of the 
approach towards perfection of the internal and 
intellectual faculties in comparison with the 
external or sentient. For the senses of smell 
and taste “ are those which act on animals 
with the most force, which most powerfully 
master them, through the energy which two of 
the most pressing desires, hunger and lust, 
communicate to their impressions.”* But in 
man the sense of smell is, in both these re- 
gards, subordinate to that of sight; and the 
developement of his internal olfactory appa- 
ratus is, in comparison with that of lower ani- 
mals, extremely small. In the varieties of the 
human race the gece of the sense and the 
developement of its organ are the less the 
more civilized their several habits of life are. 
Among ourselves, the blind alone maintain the 
sense in the energy of which it is capable, and 
in which it is said to be habitually exerted in 
some less civilized tribes. In the latter a 
greater developement of the organ of smell, 
and even of its osseous part, corresponds with 
its greater acuteness and the degree in which it 
is exerted. The greater distance between the 
orbits, which is especially remarkable in the 
Kalmucks and other Mongolian tribes, may be 
an indication of this greater developement ; 
but a more important one is the size and com. 
lexity of the turbinated bones. The nasal 
a of the skulls of Negroes are larger in all 
their dimensions than those of Europeans; and 
Soemmering,t in numerous examinations, found 
the sinuses within the middle turbinated bones 
* Lecons d’ Anatomie Comparée, ii. 160. 
+ Ueber die Verschicdenheit des Negers. 
constant in the Negro, though rare in others. 4 
Blumenbach* confirms both these observations, 
and mentions particularly the skull of a North- 
American Indian in his collection, in which — 
these sinuses were of extraordinary size. How- 
ever, these differences of size are probably not — 
a full measure of the differences of acuteness 
of the sense: it is most likely that in the nose 
as in the other organs of sense, acuteness ¢ f 
perception is connected with fineness of di- — 
vision, rather than with extent of distrib ation, 
of the recipient nerve. poe 
The prominence of the nose is even more 
characteristic of man than the smallness ¢ . 
cavities. In other Mammalia it stands out, 
indeed, much further from the skull, but is 
in company with the upper jaw, beans which 
it does not, as in man, project. For the same 
reason, the nostrils, which in man are hori- 
zontal and directed downwards, in adaptatiot 
to his erect posture, and to his hand ever ready 
to carry objects to them, are, in the lower ai 
mals, vertical. The nasal processes of the 
superior maxillary bones, also, lying flat ane 
being very broad, and the small-size of thei 
nasal bones, prevent the peculiarly hun 
elevation of the bridge of the nose. 
The forms of the external nose are amon 
the characteristics of the varieties of our sp 
cies. In all its almost infinite varieties of forn 
the Caucasian nose is on the whole narr 
elongated downwards, and elevated at # 
bridge; the Mongolian is flat eee 
at its base; the American less flat than 1 
Mongolian, but less prominent thau the Ca 
casian; the Ethiopian flat, broad, and ~ 
thick at its base; the Malay full and bro 
and, in general, thicker at its apex than | 
other varieties are. As for the varieties 
form in the individuals of the same rac 
nation, they have little, if any, physiolog 
interest: they are not known to have any ¢ 
nection with differences of function, and 
importance they have acquired is founded 
the unsupported notion that they are chai 
teristic of corresponding varieties of te 
and of intellect. 
MORBID ANATOMY OF THE NOSE. 
Congenital defects.—The extreme of th 
found when the normal state of the very 
feetus continues and the nose is nearly a 
Such a case is described by Soemmering. 
child was born at the full term: the brait 
malformed, and there were no olfactory t 
In place of nasal bones there was but one 
lens-shaped bone, and the ethmoid bo 
little developed: the eyes were close t 
but the orbits had not coalesced. A‘ 
example is mentioned by Roederer, in 
child with malformed ears had in place 
a scarcely perceptible elevation, no Ml 
and for nasal fosse a blind pouch form 
mucous membrane. Vrolik,t by whom 
cases are quoted, describes another | in a 
* Institutiones Physiologicx. £ 
+ Handhoek der Ziektekundige -Ontlee 
D. ii. p. 70. 
