| The nose is the starting part of the respiratory passages for vertebrate animals and human beings, containing of the olfactory organ, possessing a resonator (during phonation) and protective functions. It consists of an external part and a nasal cavity. It is placed in the middle third region of the facial skull. In human beings the nasal cavity is bounded by the bony walls, formed from the facial bones and a part of the cerebral cranium bones, in the front division – by the cartilages; margined on the top by the cranial cavity, on the sides – by the orbits, on the bottom – by the oral cavity. The front division of the nose is connected with the external environment with a couple of openings (nostrils). The interseptum of the nose (formed from the vertical membrane of the ethmoidal bone, plowshare bone and cartilage of the interseptum) divides the whole nasal cavity into right and left halves, which ends in the backside as oval shaped openings (Choanae), leading into the epipharynx. On every external wall of the nasal cavity there are three nasal concae, dividing the nasal cavity into upper, middle and lower nasal passages. The nasal cavity communicates with the aeriferous sinuses: maxillary sinus; frontal sinus; the sinuses of the basal bones and cellular labyrinths of the ethmoidal bones; in the front division of the lower nasal passage the nasolacrimal canal opens. In the nasal cavity the olfactory regions and respiratory regions differ. The mucous layer of the upper nasal passage with the neighboring parts of the mucus layer of the nasal interseptum and the upper part of the middle conca (olfactory region) are paved of specific sensitive epithelial layer, in which the nerve cells are embedded – olfactory receptors (apparatus of olfactory sense perception). The mucus layer of the respiratory region is covered with the ciliated epithelia, containing a huge quantity of glands, rich blood vessels, particularly the venous plexus, formed by the so called cavernous plexus. The blood vessel walls of the cavernous tissue of the concae differs in the smooth muscles and elastic fibres, which explains the property of the cavernous tissue to swell and collapse immediately under the influence of various chemical, thermal and nervous influences. During respiration through the nose the air gets warmed slightly, gets cleaned from dust and microorganisms, and is moistened. The diseases of the nose are studied by an Otto rhino laryngologist. |
Surveys show that the first thing we notice in people is their eyes. Lips are usually the second thing men notice on a woman's face, however many women answer that the second thing they notice on man's face is his nose. Apparently, just like eyes, a nose can tell a lot about person's character. In ancient Greece and Italy, a crooked nose was considered a sign of leadership.
