BMS ASSIGNMENT 1

SPECIAL SENSES

Name and Surname: LILLIAN MOHAMBI

Year Group: DIPLOMA R171

Assignment Title: BMS 200

Submission Date: 08 – 10 – 2021

Assessor: MA Modiba / J Mofoloe

Moderator: R Van der Merwe

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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HEADING PAGE
Title page 1

Table of Contents 2

Introduction 3

Sense of sight 3

Sense of hearing 4

Sense of balance 4

Sense of smell 5

Sense of taste 5

Conclusion 6

Reference 6

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QUESTION: Discuss the special senses and the role these play in the body. Apply your
knowledge of how information is gathered from the environment in relation to their interaction
and coordination with the brain.
INTRODUCTION
Special senses provide information about the body and its environment creating awareness or
perception of stimuli. Most stimuli come from the external environment. Humans have five
special senses which are: Olfaction (smell); gestation (taste); equilibrium (balance); Vision
(sight); and hearing. All special senses have specialised organs devoted to them (the eyes,
ears, nose and tongue). The sense organs have specialised sensory receptors which detect
stimulus gathered from the environment and generate nerve impulses. Sensory receptors for
different special senses are: Photoreceptors for vision; mechanoreceptors for hearing and
balance and chemoreceptors for taste and smell. Sensory receptors are connected to the
central nervous system (CNS) (brain) by sensory nerves. Each special sense and its role are
discussed below.

SENSE OF SIGHT
Sense of sight or vision is the ability to detect light by the eye and the ability of the brain to
interpret the information as an image. Eyes are sensitive to all light reflected by objects within
the visual field. When there is no light, there is no sight. Sight is the dominant of the five special
senses and more than 50% of the cerebral cortex is devoted to processing visual information
from the external environment.
Sense of sight plays an important role in learning. The brain learns new things and creates
memories through sight. Sight also helps people to connect with the environment giving them
the ability to assess and adapt to different situation. Sight creates awareness of danger making
it an important sense for survival.

Visual perception: Vision is the ability to see. Perception occurs as follows:

When light enters the eyes it first passes through the cornea which focuses the light by
refracting or bending it. Then the light enters the pupils. The iris adjusts the size of the pupils
based on the brightness of the light. The pupil narrows in bright light and widens in dim light.
The autonomic nervous system also controls the size of the pupils. Light from the pupils then
passes through the lens which refracts the light even more and focuses it on the retina as an
inverted image. The retina contains two types of photoreceptors (rods and cones). Rods are
sensitive to low levels of light and cones are sensitive to light of different colours which allows

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for colour vision. The rods and cones converts light into nerve impulses that travel to the optic
nerve via the optic disc. At the optic chiasma the optic nerves cross and information from both
eyes is send to the cerebral cortex in the occipital lobe where the image is interpreted enabling
the perception of vision - colour, brightness, distance etc.

SENSE OF HEARING
Sense of hearing or audition is the ability to perceive sound waves from the external
environment through the ear. The ear contains sense organs for both hearing and balance. The
sense of hearing plays an important role in human interaction, it allows people to detect, give
and receive information from the external environment. Hearing helps people to relate to others
and to nature. The ability to perceive sound helps people to evade danger.

Perception of sound: The auricle collects and concentrates sound waves from the external
environment. These travel through the auditory canal to the tympanic membrane causing the
membrane and the attached chain of auditory aussicles (incus, malleus and stapes) to vibrate.
The motion of the stapes against the oval window moves the fluids of the cochlea causing the
basilar membrane to vibrate. This stimulates the sensory receptors (mechanoreceptors) of the
organ of corti on top of the basilar membrane to generate nerve impulses. The impulses are
transmitted through the cochlear nerve to the auditory area in the cerebrum where sound is
interpreted and perceived. The location, type (e.g. a guitar) as well as characteristics (soft or
loud) of sound can be perceived.

SENSE OF BALANCE
Sense of balance or equilibrium is the ability to sense and maintain an appropriate body
position. Balance plays an important role to prevent falling when standing or walking and in
maintaining posture or gait. Sensory receptors for balance are located in the inner ear known as
the vestibular system. Sense of balance is the result of a number of sensory systems working
together. In addition to the vestibular system, the visual system and the proprioceptors (skeletal
muscles and joints) are involved in balance. However the receptors within the vestibular system
play a crucial role in monitoring and maintaining balance.

Mechanism of balance: The semicircular canals and the vestibule (utricle and sacule) contain
fluid that moves when the head changes position, direction or acceleration. The tiny hairs lining
the semicircular canals and the vestibule sense the movement of fluid and they stimulate the
sensory receptors (mechanoreceptors) to generate nerve impulses. The resultant nerve

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impulses are then transmitted by the vestibular nerve which joints the cochlear nerve to form the
vestibulocochlear nerve. The Vestibulocochelear nerve then transmits the impulses to the
cerebellum. The cerebellum also receives and coordinates impulses from the visual system
(eyes) and proprioceptors (muscles and joints). These provide information to the brain on the
position of the body parts in relation to each other and in relation to the environment. Impulses
are then transmitted to the cerebrum and skeletal muscles. This allows for adjustment and
coordination enabling the perception of posture and balance.

THE SENSE OF SMELL

The sense of smell or olfaction is a special sense through which smells are gathered from the
environment and perceived. Sense of smell is closely linked to the sense of taste as both rely on
perception of chemical molecules which enter the nose and mouth. Chemoreceptors are the
sensory receptors for both smell and taste. Sense of smell may affect appetite, if odours are
pleasant appetite may improve and vice versa. An appetising smell increases salivation and
stimulates the digestive system. Sense of smell is essential for survival. It allows for detection of
odours that may be hazardous e.g. smoke, rotten food. Smell is essential for finding food and
mating (pheromones). Sense of smell also ignites memories and influence mood and behaviour
for example; a certain cent can trigger memories of an event, a person, a place etc.

Perception of smell: Sense of smell depends on the nose as a sensory organ

(chemoreceptors), nerves (olfactory nerves) and the brain (olfactory cortex). Odours in the
external environment are carried into the nose with inhaled air. Sniffed odours are concentrated
on the roof of the nose where they dissolve in the olfactory epithelium. Dissolved odours
stimulate the olfactory chemoreceptors which generates nerve impulses that are transmitted to
the olfactory bulb then to the olfactory tracts. The olfactory nerve transmits the impulses to the
olfactory cortex in the brain where odours are perceived (e.g. as smoke).

SENSE OF TASTE
Sense of taste also called gestation is interconnected to the sense of smell. Smell enhances the
sense of taste by detecting flavour for example; when a person has a cold and the nose is
blocked, it is common for food to taste bland and unappetising. Sense of taste plays an
important role in the body. It triggers salivation and the secretion of gastric juices. It has a
protective function for example when foul tasting food or poison is eaten, it triggers a gag reflex
which may induce vomiting.

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Taste is detected in a similar way as odours as it rely on chemoreceptors to sense food
molecules. Taste buds are the primary organ of taste and they contain chemoreceptors. In
humans there are five primary tastes that can be detected as sour, salty, sweet, savoury
(umami) and bitter. It is thought that all taste buds are stimulated by all tastes.

Perception of taste: Food molecules are dissolved in saliva, bind to and stimulate the
chemoreceptors on taste buds. This generates nerve impulses that travel through the
glossopharyngeal, facial and vagus nerves (cranial nerves VII, IX, X) which synapse in the
medulla and thalamus before being transmitted to the taste area in the cerebral cortex where
taste is then perceived as sweet, sour, salty, bitter or savoury.

CONCLUSION
The five special senses have been identified as smell, taste, sight, hearing and balance. They
all play important roles in the body and are essential for survival. All senses have a protective
function which warns of danger. Special senses also provide pleasure such as delicious tastes,
aromatic smells, beautiful colours of nature, sound of laughter at a party. The senses help
humans to connect to the world and to be aware of what is happening around them. Special
senses depend not only on sensory organs but also on sensory nerves and the brain in order to
perceive sensation.

REFERENCE
Waugh, A. & Grant, A 2018. Ross and Wilson Anatomy and Physiology in Health and Illness.
13th Edition. Edinburgh: Elsevier

Special Senses: Smell (Olfaction) Anatomy and Physiology

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/austincc-ap1/chapter/special-senses-smell-olfaction .
[Accessed: 01 October 2021]

Special Senses: [Online]

Available from:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_senses
[Accessed: 02 October 2021]

Special Senses: [Online]

Available from:
https://nurseslabs.com/special-senses-anatomy-physiology
[Accessed: 02 October 2021]