Page 34 - The Miracles of Smell and Taste

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menu. By scent alone, you can tell whether or not the dinner is cooked, or
whether something in the refrigerator has spoiled. We can also identify a
great many environments, such as hospitals, restaurants, markets, schools
or our own homes, from their odors alone.

Your capacity to detect smells is much greater than you imagine.
Some researchers even say that it would be a mistake to reduce this capac-
ity to a numerical figure, since our sense of smell is able to distinguish be-
tween countless different odors. 17 Let us now look more closely at the
marvels of creation that make up this supremely competent and highly
accomplished system.

The Unbelievable Motion in Mucus
Two olfactory regions (Regio olfactoria) are located in the roof of the

two nasal cavities of the human nose, just below and between the eyes.
(Figure 6) The region occupies 2.5 square centimeters (0.39 square inches)
and is covered in mucus secretions. Mucus is a sticky fluid secreted by
Bowman’s glands. The mucus layer covering the olfactory region is about
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0.06 millimeter (0.023 of an inch) thick. If this layer were even slightly
thicker, your capacity to perceive smells would decline considerably. The
reason why your ability to perceive smell decreases when you catch a cold
is because mucus production is increased. If the thickness of the mucus
were any less, then your body’s immune system will be weakened and
the olfactory micro-hairs in the mucus layers could easily be damaged.
The basic functions of mucus have been known for some time.
Among other things, it prevents drying inside the nose and constitutes a
defense against foreign chemical substances. But only recently was it re-
alized that mucus has a most organized structure and constitutes a most
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ideal environment. Indeed, it is a very rich mixture of proteins, enzymes,
mucopolysaccharides, immunoglobulins and lipids.

The Miracles of Smell and
Taste