ABSTRACT
Scientific advancements leading to our current understanding of olfaction have evolved considerably since the mid-seventeenth century. Until that time, it was generally held that olfaction occurred via the direct access of odors to the brain. In 1655, Schneider suggested that the sense of smell did not occur as a result of such air passage. Instead, he reported that the superior aspects of the nasal mucosa were extremely sensitive, and he suspected this tissue was responsible for olfaction. Moreover, he proposed that the secretions that drained through the nose were not produced by the brain, as previously maintained. He believed that the nasal membranes themselves produced these secretions (Zippel, 1993).
