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Nose :: Nose_and_Paranasal_Sinuses
 

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Anatomically, a nose is a protuberance in vertebrates that houses the nostrils, or nares, which admit and expel air for respiration. Nose as a term may be used to designate the leading end of anything, such as an airplane.

Function

In mammals

In most mammals, it also houses the nosehair, which catch airborne particles and prevent them from reaching the lungs. Within and behind the nose is the olfactory mucosa and the sinuses. Behind the nasal cavity, air next passes through the pharynx, shared with the digestive system, and then into the rest of the respiratory system. In humans, the nose is located centrally on the face; on most other mammals, it is on the upper tip of the snout.

As an interface between the body and the external world, the nose and associated structures frequently perform additional functions concerned with conditioning entering air (for instance, by warming and/or humidifying it) and by reclaiming moisture from the air before it is exhaled (as occurs most efficiently in camels).

In most mammals, the nose is the primary organ for smelling. As the animal sniffs, the air flows through the nose and over structures called turbinates in the nasal cavity. The turbulence caused by this disruption slows the air and directs it toward the olfactory epithelium. At the surface of the olfactory epithelium, odor molecules carried by the air contact olfactory receptor neurons which transduce the features of the molecule into electrical impulses in the brain.

In cetaceans, the nose has been reduced to the nostrils, which have migrated to the top of the head, producing a more streamlined body shape and the ability to breathe while mostly submerged. Conversely, the elephant's nose has become elaborated into a long, muscular, manipulative organ called the trunk.

Associated health risks

Because of the special nature of the blood supply to the human nose and surrounding area, it is possible for retrograde infections from the nasal area to spread to the brain. For this reason, the area from the corners of the mouth to the bridge of the nose, including the nose and maxilla, is known to doctors as the danger triangle of the face.

Shapes of the human nose

Human noses can take many different shapes according to the individual. An attempt to make a classification of noses was made in Eden Warwick's Nasology, where the following classes are presented, associating them with character traits in a way akin to phrenology, this
  • Class I: The Roman, or Aquiline nose, which is rather convex, but undulating as its name aquiline imports.
  • Class II: The Greek or Straight nose, which is perfectly straight
  • Class III: The African, or Wide-nostrilled nose, wide at the end, thick and broad, gradually widening from below the bridge. The other noses are seen in profile, but this one in full face.
  • Class IV: The Jewish or Hawk nose, which is very convex, and preserves its convexity like a bow. It is thin and sharp
  • Class V: The Snub nose
  • Class VI: The Turn-up or Celestial nose, with a continuous concavity from the eyes to the tip
Image:Class_I_nose.jpg|Class I Image:Class_II_nose.jpg|Class II Image:Class_III_nose.jpg|Class III Image:Class_IV_nose.jpg|Class IV Image:Class_V_nose.jpg|Class V Image:Class_VI_nose.jpg|Class VI

Direction finding

All humans have a trace amount of magnetite in their noses, found in the ethmoid bone (between the eyes), possibly part of a rudimentary compass to allow direction finding relative to the earth's magnetic field. The human magnetoception is still very controversial, but some studies show that some people have the ability to orientate themselves-even when blindfolded and removed from such external clues as sunlight-to within a few degrees of the North Pole, exactly as a compass does.

Culture

Some people choose to get rhinoplasty to change the aesthetic appearance of their nose. Nose piercings are also common, such as nostril, septum or bridge.

People famous for their nose

References

  1. Physical Manual: Univ. of Tennessee at Martin
  2. Eden Warwick (pseudonym of George Jabet), Nasology, or hints towards a classification of Noses, London, Richard Bentley, 1848

See also

External links

Sensory organs | Head and neck | Respiratory system | Human anatomy

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