Sternutation

This passage is about sneezing.

Lexile Level: 890L

Categories: Sports & Health Science & Technology

How often do you emit a sternutation? The chances are good that you do so fairly often. "Sternutation" is a scientific word for sneeze. A sneeze is one way that your body tries to remove irritants. If you are allergic to pollen or grass, certainly you've sneezed in the spring when a neighbor mows the lawn. If you have an allergy to pet hair or dander, then you've probably sneezed while visiting a friend who has a dog or a cat. One amazing fact about sneezes is that they travel around 100 miles an hour. Your sneezes are faster than cars on the highway! Usually when you sneeze, someone says "Bless you." This custom is considered polite today, but it comes from an old belief that during a sneeze your spirit leaves your body. People feared that evil spirits could grab your spirit and take it away. Those evil spirits would have to be pretty fast.