There are 12 cranial nerves in the human body. Unlike most of the nerves in our bodies, the cranial nerves originate from the brain itself (specifically from the brain stem), not the spinal cord. Some, like the trigeminal and facial nerves, exit through the skull and run between the skull and skin. Others, for example nerves to the eyes, ears, and nose, remain completely within the skull, neck, or chest. Here is a list of these nerves, numbered I through XII:

I – olfactory nerve – responsible

I hope that the experts are correct about their predictions regarding this year’s flu season. I say this because these same experts’ predictions on COVID-19, especially early on in the disease process, turned out to be totally wrong. After reading in February or March that their predictions were that this virus would not be severe, I passed their predictions on to you, the readers of this column (recall that early on, even Dr. Fauci said that masks did not help). Unfortunately for a lot of

The human eye is an amazing and complicated organ. To fully understand it requires some understanding of the physics of light, aka optics. For example, when light travels through a lens, the beams of light are bent by the curvature of the lens. The beams of light meet at a point known as the focal point. The focal point is where an image is at its sharpest. An image before or after the focal point will be blurry. When you look at an image through a magnifying glass, you move the glass up and

Bariatric, or weight-loss, surgery is considered for those with obesity, often morbid obesity, and serious health issues or the risk of developing serious health issues like heart disease and strokes, high blood pressure, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, sleep apnea, and type 2 diabetes. After failing multiple attempts at weight loss and lifestyle modification, a person can be considered for bariatric surgery if their body-mass index (BMI, an estimate of body fat based on height and weight)

A while ago, Kevin Boyle asked me to write a column about the human blood ABO system and, as I write my columns about two months before in advance, it is appearing today. Human blood types were first discovered by the Austrian physician Karl Landsteiner in the early 1900s, yet even today the function and purpose of the ABO blood type system is unknown. Blood types date back to well over 20 million years ago. Like eye color, blood type is inherited. The letter stands for the type of antigen, or

Being involved in a trauma event means having an injury that requires prompt medical attention, which includes medical examination, testing, and treatment. Trauma can be caused by many types of injuries, whether intentional or unintentional, and may include an emotionally distressing experience or physical injury. Firearm injuries, motor vehicle accidents, and falls are among the most common types of trauma. Young children are more likely to be affected by drowning, while elderly patients are