What is the nose?
At the junction between the atrium and the main cavity lies a strip of mucous membrane about 1.5 millimeters wide, which is crisscrossed by numerous tiny blood vessels (capillaries) and is called the locus Kiesselbachii. When one gets a nosebleed (epistaxis), this is usually the source of the bleeding.
The nasal cavity is divided medially into two long, narrow “tubes” by a septum (septum nasi). This septum is cartilaginous in the anterior section and bony in the posterior section.
- the inferior nasal meatus: located between the inferior conchae and the floor of the nasal cavity (consisting of the hard palate and the roof of the oral cavity); the nasolacrimal duct, which departs from the lacrimal sac near the inner corner of the eye, opens into it.
- the middle nasal meatus: located between the middle and inferior conchae; the frontal sinus, maxillary sinus, and anterior and middle ethmoid cells open into it.
The various sinuses – frontal sinuses, maxillary sinuses, sphenoid sinuses and ethmoid sinuses – are air-filled cavities lined with mucosa. Their respective names are derived from the skull bone in which they are located.
What is the function of the nose?
The nose is lined on its inner walls with two different types of mucosa: respiratory mucosa and olfactory mucosa.
When we swallow, air vortices containing odorants also reach up to the olfactory mucosa. Therefore, much of what we think we taste is actually smelled, because our taste organ, the tongue, can distinguish only five tastes, namely sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami (savory).
Swelling and swelling of the mucous membrane
Language Education
Where is the nose located?
In humans, the external nose sits in the center of the face and protrudes more or less from it. It forms the entrance to the nasal cavity proper, which is enclosed by the bones of the skull. Its lower boundary is the hard palate – the boundary to the oral cavity. The upper boundary is formed by various cranial bones: Nasal bone, sphenoid bone, ethmoid bone and frontal bone. Several bones also provide the lateral boundary.
A common problem is acute or chronic inflammation of the nasal mucosa (rhinitis). Acute rhinitis very often develops in the context of a cold – this is then the typical cold. Sometimes acute rhinitis also represents an allergic reaction, for example to pollen (hay fever) or to the droppings of house dust mites. Chronic rhinitis can also be caused by both an infection and an allergy.
