Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1905-01-04
vAaARles OF sMelL.
IL Sense Dying Out Among civilize,
MenS-Some of Its Uses.

10 Sense Dying Out Among Civilized
MenS-Some of Its Uses.
Is the sense of smell dying out
among civilized men? Psychologists
tell US that although an entire seq.
ment of the brain-viz, the olfactory
lobe-is apportioned to the olfactory
fibers. what we now possess is proba-
bly, "the mere remnant of a once pow
erful mechanism" In the brute crea-
ton. says the London Spectator, the
sense is much keener, although among
the lower aquatic animals 1t is indis-
criminately blended with that of taste
and in the toothed whales is nonexist-
ent,
On the other hand, dogs, especially
those that have been trained to hunt
by scent, seem to depend upon that
faculty almost entirely. even to the
exclusion Of their -eyesight. Generally
speaking, sweet odors are more per-
sistent than their opposite, the sui
phuretted compounds in particular
evaporating rapidly on exposure to the
atmosphere. although the smell Of de
caying animal matter is said to en-
dure for days after the cause of 1t has
been removed. The olfactory sense,
however, usually becomes blunted In
time when assailed continuously by
any one odor; workmen in the big per
fumeries become case hardened to the
fragrance of their surroundings and
'.nosepain" is fortunately more dead
ening in its effects than most forms of
physical suffering.
Again, different smells do not mix:
1t is said that IL the two nostrils are
stuffed with different substances, we
smell first one and then the other, al
ternately, but never blending OF the
two together.
Among human individuals the sense
of smell, like those of sight and hear.
ing, varies considerably, and certain
persons seem to be quite unaffected by
certain odors; just as others are color
blind" to certain colors. or "tone-deaf''
to the shrill call Of a bat or the chirp-
ing Of cricket. 1t is true that we may
claim a superiority to the brute crea-
ton in the range Of our susceptibility
to various odors, for the carnivores
seem to be quite insensible to the
scent Of plants and flowers, while the
herbivores pay little attention to ami
NAL odors. except for the purpose of
detecting the approach Of enemies. But
we are certainly inferior to them in
| acuteness. at all events we Of the civil
lied races. although there seems to be
no reason why this sense should not be
cultivated and Its efficiency REINFORCED
by deliberate training.
This view is supported by the fact
that men born deaf and dumb and
blind have been known to develop their
latent powers of smell to pitch Of
perfection quite unintelligible to ordi-
nary mortals. We use spectacles to
assist the eyesight, ear-trumpets and
artificial ear-drums to correct deaf.
ness; why should not science supply
rs with some handy instrument that
would stimulate the potency of effiu-
via? There are many ways In which
such in addition to our physical land
mentaD equipment, might be useful
for the nose has one cardinal advan
tage over the eyes in that 1T is quite
independent Of light,
There is another reason for which II
might be worth our while to pay more
attention to this particular sense fol
its mnemonic suggestiveness, The
faculty Of memory plays rathel
A queer part in connection with that Of
smelling, although around 1t our men
tai associations cluster most strongly
For 1t is very doubtful whether any
h hehf a 5a4ftScnnlsr s,ar
are cases of subjective hallucination,
OF scent among the insane, and the rec
ords Of the Society Of Psychical Re
search quote instances of what W,
might call the ghost" of a smell.