CHAPTER VI - CARE OF THE NOSE

Abstract

This chapter discusses the aspects involved in caring for the nose. To begin with, the chief functions of the nose are of two kinds ; first to smell odours and tastes and second to filter, warm, and moisten the air before it is permitted to pass to the very delicate membranes of the lungs. Subsequently, nose tastes are of very great importance for the proper working of the body: for pleasures, for the digestion of foods, for sexual stimulation, and for the avoidance of unpleasantness and even of dangers. There are numerous depressors of the nose's activity acting all the time, winter, summer, night, and day. The healthy nose of a fit man may be able to filter out and, thus, not be affected, but such cases of absolutely healthy noses are rare. Thus, ethmoidal infection present in some degree almost constantly among town dwellers, and abundant in others, and can cause much harm. The filtration of filthy air all day and all night leads to a break down in the ability of the nose to deal with irritants and living microbes; it is this that does induce the ethmoid infection, which is regarded as the normal state of a town dweller.