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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