The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1902-03-07
HEALTH VALUE OF SCENTS.


cy to turn back to some of the beliefs
of the ancients regarding scents CEN
more than luxuries.
Odorous herbs, notably veryain,
warded off the evil eye. The Mosaic
ritual is full ofhyssop, nard and frank
incense. Greece set cinnamon gates
to it's elysium, and surrounded it with
scented river hundred cubits
broad, which souls swan thro' and
thereby purged themselves of earthly
grossness.
Pliny records eighty-five remedies
derived from odorous rue, forty one
whose base was mint, thirty-two balms
from roses, twenty one from lilies,
bulb and bloom, and seventeen medi-
caments strong in the virtue of violets.
Thus it appears that the violet cure
for cancer is among the very new
things that surface science scorned
because they were so very old.
Now, say various experts, one must
choose and use perfumes with an eye,
or rather, nose to health. So it is
worth. while to set down the proper
ties attributed to various perfumes.
Pure violet essence is said to be es-
pecially suitable to nervous people.
But it must be obtained from the
flowers themselves, not the chemical
limitations. Chemically derived per-
fumes are irritant: poisonous even, to
persons of especially sensitive consti-
tuition.
True flower scents are obtained in
three ways: First, by spreading fresh
blossoms upon glass thickly smeared
with pure grease, letting them stand
in the sun, and as they wilt, replacing
them until the grease is as fragrant as
the flowers; second, by repeatedly in
fusing fresh petals in oil; and, third,
hy infusing them in ether. which is
then distilled to dry solid.
AS this solid sells for $3.50 an ounce,
it is easy to understand why the eth
er process, though far and away the
best, is not commonly used. But the
scented grease and the essences made
by sleeping it in pure spirit are never
cheap. After all the scent possible
has been extracted from the grease it is
still fragrant enough to make the very
finest perfumed soap.
All the citrene scents, bergamot,
neroli, orange-fower water-are re-
treshing, and IN degrre stimulating,
if properly some animal base is essen
tial-musk, civet or ambergris.
If the lase is too strong it makes
the fower-scent curiously instant.
People who feel themselves faint in
crowded room, are often the victims of
several scents simultaneously attack
ing their nerves. A single odor, no
matter how strong, after awhile dead
ems the olfactory nerves, whereas a
combination keeps them active.
Hay fever, which, it is believed by
some, arises from the irratant proper
ties of fine odorous pollen yielded by
grass and weed fields, is in way
type of perfume action. Scent partl-
cles in general are not strong enough
to set up violent ills. None the less,
they have their effect. Witness the
refreshmeat of lavender water when
one is faint from heat or or crowding.
Lavender is peculiarly suited to high
strung temperaments. 1t is soothing
as we'll as refreshing, without being
unduly stimulating.
Jasmine should always be used pure.
Alone it tones and braces the whole
system, but in almost of all its CON-
pounds is singularly depressing. Nero
Ii is one exception. Jssmine and neroli
together in faint essence make the
scent of scents for all who have hys-
terical tendencies.