Jacobson's Organ: And the Remarkable Nature of Smell

by Lyall Watson

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

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, History, Biology

216 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 30, 1999

About the author

Lyall Watson was a South African botanist, zoologist, biologist, anthropologist, ethologist, and author of many new age books, among the most popular of which is the best seller Supernature. Lyall Watson tried to make sense of natural and supernatural phenomena in biological terms. He is credited with the first published use of the term "hundredth monkey" in his 1979 book, Lifetide. It is a hypothesis that aroused both interest and ire in the scientific community and continues to be a topic of discussion over a quarter century later.

He was born in Johannesburg as Malcolm Lyall-Watson. He had an early fascination for nature in the surrounding bush, learning from Zulu and !Kung bushmen. Watson attended boarding school at Rondebosch Boys' High School in Cape Town, completing his studies in 1955. He enrolled at Witwatersrand University in 1956, where he earned degrees in botany and zoology, before securing an apprenticeship in palaentology under Raymond Dart, leading on to anthropological studies in Germany and the Netherlands. Later he earned degrees in geology, chemistry, marine biology, ecology and anthropology. He completed a doctorate of ethology at the University of London, under Desmond Morris. He also worked at the BBC writing and producing nature documentaries.

Around this time he shortened his name to Lyall Watson. He served as director of the Johannesburg Zoo, an expedition leader to various locales, and Seychelles commissioner for the International Whaling Commission.

In the late 1980s he presented Channel 4's coverage of sumo tournaments.

Lyall Watson began writing his first book, Omnivore during the early 1960s while under the supervision of Desmond Morris, and wrote more than 20 others.

Reviews

[Sam Berner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, I knew that Arabs related large noses to sexual potency, and thought it was folk rubbish, but now I think otherwise. I wonder if there is a study showing that people who are heavy smokers and therefore smell less, tend to be (a) worse off in sexual performance and (b) dumber?

[Jessica Rowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a pretty scientific read, however also fascinating throughout. I picked it at random because the topic sounded intriguing and I wanted to know more.

In brief: Jacobson's Organ is a specialized organ which detects specific non-volatile chemicals, most notably pheromones. It is found in humans and animals.

I rated this book 3 stars because the scientific detail was difficult to push through, although I did learn some very interesting things along the way, such as:

"Without an Organ of Jacobson: house mice show no increase in testosterone after meeting a female.. guinea pigs fail to make the characteristic head-bobbing courtship gestures.. [following] exposure to female urine".

"...some smells [are] exciting, or even sexually stimulating, simply because of previous personal experiences associated with them... it is [also] intriguing to note that the herbs we choose to burn on our [church] altars are not chosen at random..[but are in fact] resins, chemically very closely related to human steroids".

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a long time to finish this one. I was interested for two reasons: I had heard of Jacobson's organs but only in snakes, and the author proposes that the same organ is not only present but active and important in mammals including humans, and also that I have lost some degree of my sense of smell (anosmia) and hoped for some illumination of this condition. Well, he did discuss both of these things but so much of the book was speculative or even fanciful extrapolation that I found whole chapters a tedious slog. Still, here and there were interesting bits, so someone interested in topics such as pheromones or perfumery will find things worth reading.

[Shel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Something fishy in Denmark

Author moves from what appears to be conjecture to credibility. Although there is extensive bibliography and indexing, the text, conclusions and yet to be answered questions are not footnoted, so it is difficult to say the least to determine where the narrative is supported by research or if the author is just adding one more hypothesis yet to be supported by scientific research.

[M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting.

[CJ Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of good info, twice as much commentary - which was quite repetitive; this book could have been half its length.

[ML Downie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most interesting. Will make you think twice before having a nose op.

[yórgos]

we are smelly, therefore we are.

[Cindy Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a writer, I appreciate the deep dive into the nature of smell.

[Ashwini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written book, packed with so many interesting facts about our complementary organs of smell- the nasal and the vomeronasal system- i.e. 'Jacobson's Organ'. The book focuses on the interesting aspects of this vomeronasal system across species- fish, toads, snakes, rats and pigs. It explains how truffles- those expensive mushrooms mimic the pheromones in male pigs- that's why sows are used to sniff out these delicacies. Plants too, seem to send out invisible odours into the air when herbivores begin to feed on their leaves and in this way, neighbouring plants begin producing tannins that make leaves unpleasant to be eaten. The array of facts and experiments on human beings and their sense of smell is quite amazing too. Evidence suggests that smell rather than any other sense is directly connected to the brain, and could explain why smell is deeply linked to memory.
It's also linked to our sense of well-being as well as confidence, which is why we also use perfumes. Although perfumes are supposed to mask our body odours, we use essential oils that are very similar to the structure of our own smells. So we try to mask, but unconsciously, we are bringing to the forefront those very things that we try to hide.
Watson has a lively style, I never did get bored and he has a good take-home message, i.e. not to underestimate the sense of smell, which may be controlling us unconsciously in so many more ways than can be imagined.

[Quiver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent introduction to the controversial Jacobson's Organ. You will learn about the olfactory system and its evolution, about how other animals use their Jacobson's Organ, and even a bit about pheromones.

Do we, humans, have the Jacobson's Organ or don't we? This is the not a question you will find debated here at length. A bit is said about the controversy, but basically the author assumes the answer is almost certainly in the affirmative. However, it's definitely worth reading about and being informed: the debate is not finished yet and science still does not understand how we smell.

[Ammie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is super awesome. I will never, ever underestimate my sense of smell again. But I also feel vaguely guilty whenever I use deodorant, so there's that aspect too. But still, this one got me so amped up on pure knowledge that I was buzzing for at least a week, talking off the ears of my co-workers about how amazing our noses and particularly our Jacobson's Organs are. I'm still waiting to write a blog about how sensory words travel through language. Fascinating.

[catharine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book on the nature of smell and that mysterious pheremone-detector that also shares space in our nose.

Very psuedosciency, more philosophy and speculation than fact. He lost credibility well before he posited that ghosts are a particularly vivid smell memory and schizophrenics have psychic powers.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jacobson's Organ is an area of the nose, you dirty pervert. According to the author there is a debate over whether or not this organ actually exists, but he makes a pretty good case for it. This book is a great example of non-fiction that is a pleasure to read.

[Jason Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good review of the role Jacobson's organs play in our secondary/ accessory sense of smell. (Technically, the Jacobson's Organs don't smell odours; rather they pick up on scentless, large molecules like pheromones.)

[Jules · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only read about half of this book. The guy starts to get really boring and thesis sounding after a while. so I skipped through and learned some stuff by reading the things that looked interesting to me.

[Elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating and well-written to boot! I'd recommend this over "Smell: the Secret Seducer."

I did feel that the author went out on a limb by not fully supporting a few of his ideas, but those were few and far enough between that it didn't diminish my overall enjoyment of the book.

[Audrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting concept. Amoral and evolutionary point of view.

[Jess]

I don't think I'm going to make it through this one. It seems interesting by my mind's not up to nonfiction lately.

[Vyki Englert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read. Keep giving away my copy.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating.