| Article # | 1054 |
| Journal | Rhinology 49 - 5 |
| Article Title | Olfaction – the Cinderella of the senses? |
| Abstract | In the United Kingdom this time of year is traditionally the occasion for a very particular entertainment, the Christmas pantomime. One of the most popular subjects for this comedy pastiche of fairy tale and morality play is the story of Cinderella, that archetypal tale of ‘rags to riches’. Whilst the analogy may seem a little far-fetched, olfaction is not infrequently referred to as the ‘Cinderella of the senses’ presumably as it is perceived as receiving less attention than the other senses so it is perhaps appropriate that this December issue should contain a number of publications on this topic. Smell influences our lives from conception to death, our very survival may depend on it and yet it is interesting to reflect that whilst Nobel prizes were given in the early 1960’s for the discovery of the rod and cone mechanism in the eye and to von Bekesy for his work on hearing, it was not until 2004 that Richard Axel and Linda Buck received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering olfactory receptor proteins which make up the largest gene family thus discovered. |
| Price | Free |