The Wichita daily eagle., 1897-12-05
The Mystery of Smells.

One subject which In this scientific aSe
has not been made the subiec. OF thorough
scientific investigation ;s the Seeuse OF
smell. Our knowledge OF the science OF
odors remains abou. where l. was fifty
years ago. although we have learned so
much about Eight. heat. and sound. The
old imperfect classification OF smells into
'.pungent, saline, and saccharine" sL4n re-
mains. Indeed, about all that most OF US
know Is thai some smells ase agreeable and
some decidedly the reverse. There is no
standard Of smell. no unit odor establish
ed as base OF comparison. We DO nos
know when one smell - twice as strong
as another. AS a famous chemist said.
'Cuant.ta,;ve analysis has not yet been
applied 10 the skunk
A writer in the Independent does. in
deed. say that on an examination Of sever
al thousand flowers he found that there
was a connection between color and per-
fume He finds that OF white flowers II
per cent gave out agreeable oGors; OF gray
ones. II per cent: OF red. n little over S
per cent; OF yellow. a little over per cent;
of blue. 4 per cent; OF green, only per
cent. But. further. yellow flowers con-
tain the largest n umber with a des.gree-
able oior and the white the next largest
But this analysis IS vitiatsd by the fact
that perfume agreeable TO one person
may be sickening TO another.
There IS no aesthetic standard OF smells.
and there are but few which all declare
10 be delightful. Az English manufactur-
er OF perfumes asserts that he is able 10
combine odors so as 10 produce a certain
effect. and talks OF a perfume scale. but
this seems rather commercial than scien-
tihc II he could really produce an odor
which everybody would recognize. by the
combination OF science of smell elements.
the foundation OF a science Of smell would
be laid
One remarkable thing about odor is that
the emission OF it does not appreciah,y
diminish the mass OF the body from which
IL is given OF. A grain OF musk may Ill
a room with o6or for years and weigh as
much at the end OF the time as Il did az
the beginning. It's weight must have been
diminished. for it is impossible TO believe
tina; an effect on our organs OF sense can
be produced without an impact OF material
particles from a source OF energy. but the
emoun, OF matter d.ssipated is inhnitesimal
IN the case OF an odorous body.
The sense OF smell Is apparently univer-
sal. but stronger in animals than in man.
insects nell W ith their hairs. fishes smell
IN water. and the acuteness Of the power
OF smell in dogs and in savages IS we'll
known. Humboldt says that the Peruvian
Indians could tell in the darkest night
whether person approaching was Euro
pean. a negro. or en- American Indian.
In those deprived of the other senses the
power OF ana.yz.ng doors Is sometimes alb
normally developed.
The Scotch boy. James Mitchell. blind
deaf mute. could distinguish the ind3v!du-
ais in a room into which he was led. John
Mossman. deaf mute OF Parkersburg.
w. Va. was abloe 20 locate osl wells with
the certainty that a setter dnds part
ridges. His rose brought him a fortune
OF 100000 as fees for professional smelling
ut is strange that no one has trained
dog tC point petroieum) Possibly dog
might be Ia ught 20 stand a nugget OF
gold in the rozer soil OF Alaska, pigs
find truffies in Perigord for metals have
a characteristic smell.
Il Is probtble that everything gives or
a characteristic effiuvium. though our
sense is not delicate enough TO detect the
most subtle ones. Some gases. Ike hy-
drogeh. have no odor. others, ike chlorine
and the product OF the gas company. have
a very perceptible one. There Is "A general
idea that a body must possess a molecular
we. gtht fifteen times ss great as that OF
hydrogen before II can affect the olfac-
tory nerves OF human beings, but even
that reeds confirmation. We frequently
ccrfound taste and smell. and IT is said
that no one can distinguish an onion from
an apple by taste alone.
Some odors cling 10 the surface OF things
as the odor OF game. which rarely rises
much above the round. Others are rap
idly d,fused through the air. Why is th's7
No one knows. One Of the most singular
things about the sense OF smell j. that
- is net subject to Illusions. Sight may
be deceived. One may imagine he sees
things which are not before him; he may
hear a rearing in his ears when there =
no sound. but II Is said tha; even the in
sane are not subject 70 onactory deln-
sions. There are no ghost smells. II rIis
Is true what IS the reason. what Is the
explanation of the paenomcnoa?