An Exposition of the Orthodox Faith 32

1 BOOK II — CHAPTER 18: Concerning Sensation.

2 Sensation is that faculty of the soul whereby material objects can be apprehended or discriminated. Now there are five senses, and likewise five organs of sense. The first sense is sight: and sight is primarily perception of color, but along with the color it discriminates the body that has color, and its size and form, and locality. The second sense is hearing, whereby voices and sounds are perceived. The third sense is smell, which is caused by the nostrils transmitting the vapours to the brain. The fourth sense is taste: it is the faculty whereby the humours are apprehended or perceived. The fifth sense is touch, which is common to all living things.

3 The Creator, it is to be noted, fashioned all the other organs of sense in pairs, so that if one were destroyed, the other might fill its place. For there are two eyes, two ears, two orifices of the nose, and two tongues, which in some animals, such as snakes, are separate, but in others, like man, are united. But touch is spread over the whole body with the exception of bones, nerves, nails, horns, hairs, ligaments, and other such structures.