Perception of smell; see under olfactory.
Term (literally translated "concerning the olfactory nerve") for the perception of smell (olfactus) via the receptors in the nose in contrast to the perception of taste via the tongue and palate. The olfactory nerve (lat. nervus olfactorius) is the first and shortest of the 12 cranial nerves. It is responsible for the transmission of olfactory impressions from the olfactory mucosa (2 x 5 cm²), which is twice the size of a postage stamp in humans, in the upper nasal cavity area with 20 million olfactory cells (receptors) to the primary olfactory cortex in the cerebrum. The sense of smell...
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