[lit-ideas] Re: "Bless You" (Was: Sneeze)

JK:
> Looking at the sun always causes one to sneeze.  I'd like a  physiological
> explanation of this, please.

"An excellent question. This is far more complicated than you might imagine.
Since the detailed answer below got kind of long, I will summarize the main
points up front. About 25% of people do actually sneeze when exposed to
bright lights like the sun. We do not know exactly why this happens, but it
might reflect a "crossing" of pathways in the brain, between the normal
reflex of the eye in response to light and the sneezing reflex. There is no
apparent benefit from "sun-sneezing", and it probably is nothing more than
an unimportant (but annoying) holdover of evolution. "
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/aug97/865380242.Me.r.html

Oh great, I'm an evolutionary throwback.  An atavism.  Like being short's
not bad enough.

I am a HUMAN BEING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mike Geary
Memphis



>
> Julie Krueger
> still waiting after 40 years for someone to explain why running hard
causes
> a pain in the side.
> ========Original  Message========     Subj: [lit-ideas] Re: "Bless You"
(Was:
> Sneeze)  Date: 7/30/2004 12:48:06 AM Central Daylight Time  From:
> _atlas@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx (mailto:atlas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx)   To:
_lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> (mailto:lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx)   Sent on:
> Dear Straight Dope Dude:
>
> Why do we say  "nothing to sneeze at?"  Does that mean that you don't have
> anything to  aim your sneeze at, or does it mean that you're having a hard
> time sneezing  because there's nothing around to irritate your nasal
> passages?  Hence  you have "nothing to sneeze at."  I've been told that
the
> original  expession was: "not to be sneezed at".  Is that a prohibition,
like
> in:  "the Queen Mum is not to be sneezed at."  Says who?  That seems
rather
> politically presumptive to me, but what do I know?  Not the  answer,
that's
> for sure.  And as you well know, the School for Scandal  crowd would stuff
> snuff up their noses just to cause a sneeze.  Weird,  huh?  Except that
> sneezing is kind of like a miniature-type orgasm,  don't you think?  Boy,
oh
> boy, were the real thing is so easy,  hey?  So maybe "nothing to sneeze
at"
> is a euphemistic phrase meaning  something that I can't write down because
it
> would be breach of  propriety,  suffice it to say, it's something that's
> nothing to sneeze  at.  For my part, I don't need snuff to sneeze.
Everytime
> I come  out of a dark place like a movie house into the sunlight I have a
> sneezing  fit.  I can also almost always just look up at the sun and
sneeze.
> Good,  hearty sneezes, too.  Pizza is good.  Sex is good.  Sneezing is
good.
> What's with that?  A coincidence or a synchonicity?
>
> Please  answer my questions right away.  I get bored waiting.
>
> Your devoted  fan,
> Mike Geary
> Memphis
>
>
>
> >
> > Why do we say "God  bless you" after a sneeze?
> >  27-Sep-2001
>
>
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