Nose, Sex, and Sexuality

The nose is a prominent structure of the human midface with an individually varying shape and size. It fulfills physiological functions through breathing, smelling, and immune surveillance. But is the nose also involved in sex and sexuality? We analyzed the history of physiognomy and their myths from Greek and Roman times through the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Enlightenment. Sigmund Freud stimulated further research on this topic through psychoanalysis. At the turn of the 19th to the 20th century, otolaryngologists Wilhelm Fließ (1858-1928) in Berlin and John Noland Mackenzie (1853-1925) in Baltimore created the concept of a nasal reflex neurosis in women, which was later abandoned. Analysis of chemical components of body odor starting in the 20th century identified sex-specific substances involved in attraction and arousal. The search for pheromones in humans was stimulated by groundbreaking studies in insects and other animals. The first identified pheromone was bombykol, isolated in 1959. If human pheromones exist remains a matter of debate. The vomeronasal organ (VNO) is found in most human adults, but its role in sexuality is questionable. Recent studies suggest that it has no function in chemoreception, representing an atavistic and vestigial structure.