- Mass Market Paperback: 272 pages
- Publisher: Plume; Reissue edition (Jun 7 2001)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0452282586
- ISBN-13: 978-0452282582
- Product Dimensions: 20.4 x 13.6 x 1.6 cm
- Shipping Weight: 259 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,218,782 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
The nose knows, says Lyall Watson, and in Jacobson's Organ, he sets out to prove that a humble, often overlooked set of nasal pits helps us decide whom to hit on, and whom to hit. First identified in 1811 by Danish anatomist Ludwig Levin Jacobson, the vomeronasal organ has been implicated in the reception of pheromones, those ephemeral chemical signals animals use to communicate nonverbally.
Watson organizes his thesis around the seven broad classes of smells identified by pioneering naturalist Carolus Linnaeus: floral, goatish, musky, foul, nauseating, spicy, and garlicky. In each section, Watson presents evidence of a surprising and unacknowledged role of smell and pheromones in human life. Is it possible that first impressions are the result of chemical signals? Watson thinks so, and also that pair-bonding, fistfights, love of offspring, and memories may have more to do with our humble nose than we think. In what is bound to be one of his more controversial stretches, Watson implicates nasal plastic surgery in postoperative mood changes:
Every time a surgeon slices away at a nasal septum in the name of fashion or vanity, both sides of Jacobson's organ are at risk of being damaged or even removed entirely, without thought for the consequences.... If you are considering cosmetic surgery on your nose, know that it could deprive you of the very things in life which having a new, cute, little button nose were supposed to improve.
Jacobson's Organ is full of Watson's pithy opinions and conjectures. Some are supported by science, some are not. But as we learn more about the role of the vomeronasal structures in human chemical communication, it becomes clear that a nosey approach is nothing to sneeze at. --Therese Littleton --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
There's little doubt that smell plays a significant role in the lives of humans. Watson (Beyond Supernature), like many before him, argues convincingly that odors are superb at rekindling lost memories. He is also in good company when he asserts that some smells and some pheromones often have consequential but unconscious effects on humans. Beyond rehashing what has become widely accepted, Watson attempts to discuss the importance of Jacobson's Organ, the "unconscious partner to the nose." Jacobson's Organ, also called the vomeronasal organ, consists of two small pits in front of the nasal septum with nerves feeding directly to the most primitive, limbic area of the brain. Scientists believe that the vomeronasal organ in humans, as in reptiles, can sense large molecules that have no impact on our ordinary sense of smell. Watson claims that it is "a chemical clearing house for subliminal impressions, for... bad vibes, warm fuzzies, instant dislikes and irresistible attractions. Just the sort of will-o'-the-wisps with which any decent sixth sense ought to be concerned." Perhaps there is a sixth sense mediated by Jacobson's Organ. The problem, however, is that Watson spends virtually all of his time providing eclectic information on the traditional sense of smell, only alluding to Jacobson's Organ. Only in his final chapter does he focus on it directly; and there, to his credit, he writes, "everything that follows here is pure speculation on my behalf." As with his earlier work, Watson provides tantalizing conjectures, but his uncritical acceptance of the paranormal reduces his credibility. (Apr.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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First Sentence
Smell is the forgotten sense. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Smell is the forgotten sense. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
If we could talk with the animals...,
By DA Weibel (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Jacobson's Organ: And the Remarkable Nature of Smell (Mass Market Paperback)
Although I am a non-scientific type, I am intrigued by this book. It is surprising that there has been little research about Jacobson's Organ until recently. Although it was first identified in the 18th century, its existence has only been studied clinically since the early 1990s. This sense organ, which consists of two small pits inside the nasal passages, works in combination with what we traditionally understand as our sense of smell. Instead of registering the odors we typically associate with smell, however, Jacobson's Organ functions as our "sixth sense" deciphering odorless chemical pheromones that are sent and received by a variety of plants and animals. These chemical messages may trigger sexual arousal, panic, fear, or an immediate dislike or attaction to someone you just met. The book is filled with interesting examples of how this organ and pheromones function in different species. Certain trees and plants are shown to communicate with each other by these signals. The author also suggests that schizophrenia, in which sufferers sometimes experience heightened sensitivity to another's feelings, may be related to disfunction with Jacobson's Organ. Instead of being out of touch with reality, they sense reality too much and are overwhelmed. This book will make you think of the people and places that gave you a sense of well-being. It may be that the chemical signals have much more to do about our perceptions of these than we have ever imagined.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent read, but very "easy" at the same time.,
By Auliya "An Avid Reader" (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Jacobson's Organ: And the Remarkable Nature of Smell (Mass Market Paperback)
This is the softest of science writing. It's written for a high school level, at best -- or, if you prefer a different analogy, it's written like a 'Discovery' or 'Popular Science' essay. Easy, accessible, and glossy glossy glossy. It also wanders something fierce, let me tell you. The author seems to have a point... but there's no tight focus, no direction. One of the New York Times reviewers said the book was like a "county fair" -- and I'm not sure that's a compliment! However, if you can be patient with the wandering, the lack of focus, and the gloss... wow! Great information, humorously presented, packed with bizarre trivia and some pretty new-to-me ideas. I would definitely recommend this book for readability and content.
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Nose,
By "subornator" (A short trip from Arnhem) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Jacobsons Organ (Hardcover)
Smell is the Cinderella of senses. We never seriously contemplate what it would be like - to live in a world without smells. Loss of sight or hearing is recognized as a handicap, a disease, a tragedy; loss of smell does not even have a name. Moreover, smells do not have their own vocabulary almost in any known language - whatever name you assign to a smell, it is borrowed either from taste (sweet, sour, spicy) or touch (sharp, mellow). We, at least during the last 150 years or so, are very uncomfortable about the fact that we, as a species, smell. And yet man is one of the smelliest animals around, with lots of glands and pores with evidently no other functions other than producing smelly secretions - the fact we are desperately trying to hide through washing, bathing and a variety of artificial perfumes borrowed from other living creatures, both plants and animals.The main premise of Watson's book is that most mammals, including humans, in fact possess two olfactory systems. The first works through the nose; its functions are processed by the brain in the regular way. The second works through the mysterious Jacobson's organ, and is connected directly to subliminal, subconscious parts of the brain, making us feel things we cannot account for. ... attraction, premonitions, foresight, the phenomenon of déjà vu, irrational dislike and many other almost paranormal things seem to be explained by the workings of Jacobson's organ. There are even theories (as recounted in this book, they seem very convincing) that some severe mental disorders such as schizophrenia may be explained by the mix-up in the wiring of the two olfactory systems. When the stimuli from Jacobson's organ are somehow erroneously conveyed to the cortical, "conscious" areas of the brain, a person experiences things he cannot reasonably explain; but the brain tries to explain everything at all costs, and that is what we perceive as madness. Without the sense of smell, and especially without Jacobson's organ, many animals cannot live at all - they depend on their olfactory abilities for moving, hunting, mating, detecting danger and a number of other everyday tasks. Man has created a relatively sterile universe, and it seems that we could do without the fifth sense; however, research suggests that malfunctions of olfactory system in humans result in severe disorientation, depressions and suicidal moods. Watson tells his controversial story vividly and fluently. There are gaps, and sometimes the transition from dry experimental data to wild speculations (which the author, to his credit, is not trying to disguise as solid knowledge) is too abrupt. In the end, it is not quite clear which point the author was trying to make. In fact, there are several; it was obviously difficult for Watson to concentrate on one of them and to press it more persistently; it is clearly no less difficult for the reader to decide, what, after all, was the main idea of the book. I am not saying that it is not clear; I am just implying that it could be a little more clear. Most parts of the book are nevertheless a fascinating read, and the marvellously unobtrusive layout with floral design adds to the story's charm.
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