The air-conditioning mechanism of the nose

Abstract

A, study has been made of the nasal organ of fish, with particular reference to the distribution of olfactory mucosa and of secretory epithelium. A comparison is made with the nose of mammals, in which there is typically an anterior air-conditioning part and a posterior olfactory region. Observation of a representative series of mammals reveals a correspondence between the olfactory and the humidifying areas and indicates a relation between the two, both areas being small in species with feeble powers of scent and extensive in keen-scented animals. The epithelium generally known as respiratory is found to be of two types, one ciliary and the other thin and permeable. The conclusion is that the present views on nasal physiology require readjustment. © 1956, British Medical Journal Publishing Group. All rights reserved.