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Q: What makes people
sneeze?
Sneezing usually occurs
when the nerve endings of the mucous membrane of the nose are irritated,
due to a swelling of the membrane, for example when we have a cold, or when
some foreign body, such as a gnat, invades our nose, or when allergy and
pollen season strike.
Surprisingly enough, sneezing can be
brought on (or out!) when the optic nerves in our eyes are exposed to
bright light!
For whatever reason, the membrane is
irritated, sneezing is a reflex act, completely beyond our control, by
which the nose trumpets out air in an attempt to eject (and project!) the
irritating bodies. Sometimes, however, this is accomplished only through
multiple sneezes.
Medical science dispelled ancient
beliefs concerning the out-of-control sneeze, and snuffed out superstitions
in the process. Primitive people held the belief that a sneeze signified
approaching death, and immediately assisted the distressed person by crying
out "God help you!" Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks, saw the sneeze
as an omen of approaching danger, or, on a more positive note, as a way of
foretelling the future. Lucky ones sneezed to the right, while unlucky ones
sneezed to the left. The moral of the story is to know your right from your
left, and to sneeze in that direction, regardless of who is next to you!
Biblically speaking, sneezing meant
a certain death, until Jacob nosed in and made a deal with God, whereby a
prayer per sneeze cheated the grim reaper. Pope Gregory the Great, in
response to the sixth century plague in Italy, carved out his place in
history as being the one responsible for insisting that prayers, such as
"God bless you!," be said in response to the deadly sneeze. He
did not, however, order that tissues be kept close at hand to snare the
airborne germs spewed forth by the sneeze.
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