Nose
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A typical bulbous human nose, here used to support a pair of glasses. |
You may be looking for Nose, a town in Japan, The Nose, a story by Nikolai Gogol and an opera by Dmitri Shostakovich or one of the qualities evaluated in wine tasting.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.
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 mostly 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.
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.
Human noses can take many different shapes; every individual has in fact an uniquely shaped nose. Several attempts have been made towards a classification of noses. The following examples are from
Nasology by Eden Warwick (pseudonym of George Jabet). This 19th century tract associated nose shapes with character traits in a way akin to
phrenology, in a somewhat
ironical way, as the booklet was intended to mock the popular but highly controversial subject of phrenology.
*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
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 IImage:Class_II_nose.jpg|Class IIImage:Class_III_nose.jpg|Class IIIImage:Class_IV_nose.jpg|Class IVImage:Class_V_nose.jpg|Class VImage:Class_VI_nose.jpg|Class VISome people choose to get
rhinoplasty to change the aesthetic appearance of their nose.
Nose piercings are also common, such as nostril, septum or bridge.
In
New Zealand, nose pressing ("
hongi") is a traditional
greeting.
*
Asterix,
Obelix and most of the Gauls in the comic strip "Asterix"
*
Adrien Brody*
Cleopatra*
Cyrano de Bergerac*
Gérard Depardieu*
Jimmy Durante*
W.C. Fields*
Bob Hope*
Major Kovatzov in
Nikolai Gogol's novel
The Nose.
*
Michael Jackson*
Lambik, Belgian comic character by
Willy Vandersteen*
Karl Malden*
Nero,
Belgian comic character by
Marc Sleen*
Jack Nicholson in the film
Chinatown (
1974) by
Roman Polanski*
Ryan Stiles*
Barbra Streisand# Physical Manual:
Univ. of Tennessee at Martin# Eden Warwick (pseudonym of George Jabet),
Nasology, or hints towards a classification of Noses, London, Richard Bentley, 1848
*
Empty nose syndrome*
hooknose*
WikiSaurus:nose — the
WikiSaurus list of synonyms and slang words for the nose in many languages
*
sneeze*
photic sneeze reflex*
nose-picking*
nosebleed*
Little's area*
olfactory system*
mucus*
rhinoplasty*
Jala neti*
Sròn*
WebMD: The Sinuses and The Nose*
From the Nose to the Eustachian Tube: Information, videos, tips for diving*
Your Nose: The Guardian Of Your Lungs*
Asian Noses This website discusses the differences in Asian noses.
*
The Empty nose syndrome patient associationzh-yue:鼻
