I can smell Roxanne from across the room. She doesn’t smell like Rose.  Barbara exudes an aroma, different from Celia, who has a “spicy” smell. Rhonda smells better when she has had a good workout, and Cindy smells fantastic in bed. Thomas smells of pipe smoke, Bill uses too much after-shave and Ed smells of moth balls. After James and Margie spent a day in bed making wild love, the motel maid who cleaned up said that the room “smelled of sex.“

Whether you’re a cork sniffer, panty sniffer, or consider yourself a connoisseur of any other type of odor, sniffing your way to a better America ain’t all that easy. In spite of the fact that our founding fathers declared that all men are created equal and have the right to the pursuit of happiness, we seem reluctant to describe our true feelings after sniffing at our pleasure, at our wont, at our leisure and at our discretion. Not to worry.

Every time a certain guy walks into a room, everyone knows he’s there. Wherever he goes, he attracts people. They  like him and always have, ever since he was a kid. She was always “Miss Popularity.” She always got what she wanted, because she had a magic way of making  people want to be near her. Charisma? Universal charm?. Is it looks? Is it a certain inbred self confidence?  You’re attracted to a certain stranger. Someone keeps following you and won’t let you alone. Two strangers meet and are instantly attracted. Many scientists believe that pheromones can be responsible. Only your nose knows.

Smells come to us in all waves, forms, sizes and intensities. We experience “people” smells all day without actively seeking them. Certain scents present themselves as reminders of the past. Certain odors help us fanaticize about the future and some are so overpowering that they virtually tumble into our lives and linger forever. There is the scent of new-mown grass, the after-odor of gunpowder and the ever familiar reminder – summer has passed and autumn is on the way – the odor of burnt leaves.

And then there is the smell of love and lovemaking. It brings you into a world of fantasy and pleasure – unforgettable – even after the affair is finished. Remember your first love? There was a smell there, a first time for you, one you’re always trying to reproduce while traveling your love-journey through life. The intimate smell of lipstick, makeup, sweat and sex. Then it was the best smell. You’ll never forget it. Snippets of it appear from time to time, and until you die, you will try relive that first time. You loved it then and you love it now.

Then there are everyday smells: Fish smells, paint smells, fuel smells, the smell of decay, hydrogen sulfide – rotten egg smells, the smell of cooked bacon, human flatulence, dog flatulence, flatulence in general and flatulence in specific. Think about how mom’s apple pie used to surround you with pleasure, and the thrill of  a “new-car” smell. Think about the smell of clean sheets and the smell of school when you were a kid. Think about how the odor of cigarette smoke as well as how the aroma of the “best grass east of the Mississippi” used to turn you on. You can smell a Mexican neighborhood, Russian apartment house and a Polish kitchen. You know it’s Italian when  you smell it, and you can find your way to a Chinese restaurant in any city in the country. What’s that smell in the air after a thunderstorm?

There are street smells – carbon monoxide, factory smoke, burnt fat from the grill of a restaurant or bar, and the raunchy smell of garbage as it swelters in a pile on a hot summer day. There are office smells and orifice smells – the smell of floor wax and furniture polish and the smell of a window after it’s been washed. Don’t forget the scent of people in a crowded elevator, a mixture of perfume, aftershave, sweat,  and breath. Musks – some biological – some man or woman made, and others of undetermined origin are churned into this mixture, making you want to get to your office floor and finally breathe some “fresh” air. Some are attractive, and it scares you that you don’t know why.

Smell is an irrepressible sense. You can’t contain an odor. It can escape and travel wherever it wants to go. Close your eyes, stop-up your ears, numb your skin, cover a bad taste with a good taste or spit disgusting things out; but you MUST breath to stay alive. Some say smells “intrude” upon our bodies and against our will, and for this reason are extremely difficult to forget.. You may forget a bland movie, but remember the odour of the person in the seat next to you, for some years to come.

Feminine intuition isn’t just a myth. Some experts maintain that women have a better developed sense of smell then men.  This could be due to, what many believe, is a “genetic predisposition” to react  to the nurturing instinct – the smell of a baby, the smell of impending harm to an offspring, and the smell of unrequited fear when about to be attacked. This could account for a heightened sense of detecting nuances and undertones during very intimate situations, when whiffs and odours of various intensities fill the air.

Let’s face it, out of  all the kinds of smells on earth, there are really only two kinds: smells you like, and smells you don’t like. Even more interesting, is that each person has her or his  own personal idea of likeable or distasteful smells.  There have been arguments about smell, scientific studies about smell, treatises about smell and even speeches about smell. There have been books about smell and stories about smell. The discussions, definitions and characterizations about cranial nerve I are incalculable.

Smelling is something more than just sniffing. It mirrors emotions and creates them at the same time. It brings back memories. It can warn of an impending disaster, and can be a major ingredient in the cocktail of emotions leading to sexual arousal. You can almost sniff the sometime odor of hostility.. There is the terrifying smell of fear.  Some say that they can detect an odor of falseness or  unbelievability. A baby has a certain smell and the elderly seem to have a halo of almonds surrounding them.

Anatomy of a smell

What makes a smell, a smell?  Obviously, it takes at least two things:  The aroma, which is actually a mixture of chemicals wafting through the air; and the nose: the schnozzla, the sniffer, the nasal protuberance, the honker. Anatomically speaking, the nose houses the nostrils or nares that admit and expel air for respiration. It sticks out from the face for a reason – so that it can be the first to tell the brain about outside threats, dangers, the whereabouts of food, and of course, where the boys and girls are, as well as who is a boy and who is a girl.  The act of reproduction begins here.

Whether you like a smell or despise it, all a smell or odor is, is an intermingling of chemical molecules that form a cocktail of sorts. This arises or wafts into space,  is carried by air currents and received – in humans – by the nose. Since the body depends on the nose for breathing (along with the mouth), its nostrils are always open. The lungs rely on these nostrils to enable breathing and bring in oxygen so that they can supply it to the body along with carbon dioxide and a host of other gaseous components. We call these  varyingr mixtures of chemical molecules, smells. Molecular mixtures are sensed by nerve endings  in the nose and sent to the brain for interpretation.

In the 1950s and early 1960s, in an attempt to compete with newfangled television that was stealing movie audiences, producer Mike Todd developed Smell-O-Vision. However, only one such show ever made it to a movie theater. It utilized an idea developed by a German movie technician, Hans Laube. The idea involved rigging each theater seat with hollow tubes that upon an electronic signal, could transmit various scents during crucial movie scenes. This could involve the scent of flowers during a romantic scene or the smell of gun smoke during a battle scene. It never caught on, due to the fact that removal of one scent before another could be released, was next to impossible.

No discussion about smells would be complete without taking about Sissel Tolaas, a lady who says that she can “smell” her daughter when she’s happy. She describes herself as  neither an artist nor a chemist. She defines herself as a “smell educator.” She says that there are no such things as “good smells” or “bad smells.” She maintains that the “smell of fear” is separate and apart from the ordinary “sporting sweat smell.” She maintains that she can “smell” people who have fear, and has – in fact – bottled that odor. For example: She collected armpit samples of sweat from men who had extreme phobias and fears of other human beings. These smells were incorporated into a “touch and sniff” product, and painted on the wall in an exhibition, entitled “FEAR,” shown at MIT and other institutions around the world.

Can you smell fear, aggression or hate? Forget touching a wall. Can you really smell when you’re in danger?  Some, like Sissel Tolaas, say that you can, and this may be an important factor in saving your life some day. According to an elephant research project in Kenya, we know that by smell alone an elephant can distinguish a threatening human from one who means no harm.

Due to lack of the ability to speak, animals evolved certain sensitivities that enabled them to “talk” to each other in other ways.  One of the primary reasons is and was to promote reproduction. By exuding certain chemicals, the female can signal to a male that she is available to reproduce the species. Smell also helps an animal to survive. An animal can sense the presence of another for protection purposes or as a defense. Most of the scientific world today agrees that these mechanisms exist in human beings, today.

There are strange, biological chemicals that, when emitted, relate directly to sex. Called

“pheromones,” they seem to act by binding to protein receptors in the nose. Once the

brain recognizes them, they elicit a sexual response. It seems that the same pheromones

that provide a perfect attraction  between one set of  individuals, can repulse  and even

suggest fear. These pheromones are complex compounds, and in humans appear in body

fluids such as sweat, nasal, mouth and vaginal secretions, and even urine.

In addition, smell is taste. The 1st cranial nerve, or the olfactory nerve (projections of the olfactory bulb), goes through  the ethmoid bone of the skull, and serves as the sensor or receiver of smell. It is a sensory nerve, only, as opposed to several of the other cranial nerves that also serve other functions. When you pinch your nose and disarm cranial nerve I, there is no taste. Kids know that “holding” their noses allows them to take all sorts of evil smelling and tasting concoctions foisted upon them by the adult world. Not being able to smell is called anosmia..  If you experience anosmia, you will also experience ageusia. the inability to taste. Many things can cause this – from pinching the nose to temporary blockage by a sinus infection, or a head injury. While it’s only a trivial problem for some, for others, it can have a serious effect on life and survival.

The nose knows

Who can forget what is possibly the world’s most famous defense of the nose?

Valvert: Your nose is . . . very big.
Cyrano: Yes, very.
Valvert: Ha!
Cyrano: Is that all?

Cyrano de Bergerac  Edmond Rostand 1897

We all know Valvert’s ultimate fate!

The visible part of the human nose protrudes from the face.  It goes from the forehead to above the upper lip, and includes nostrils. A nostril is one of the two channels of the nose. The shape of the nose is determined by the ethmoid bone and the nasal septum, a divider that consists of  mostly of cartilage, and separates the nostrils. In the nostrils are turbinates, receptor cells that can transmit an inhaled chemical to the brain, the controller of the central nervous system. Get it? There are axon cells in the brain that are neurotransmitters, and can to transmit impulses to the body that result in engorgement and hormonal release –orgasm. Your nose is probably  the most important sexual organ you have.

Nose shape is part of your genetic being. Witness the “Roman nose,” the upturned “Irish nose, ” the strong broad nose of African genetics and the fabled Semitic protuberance. We are at once proud of our heritage and look to our ancestors with reverence and respect, while seeking to disassociate ourselves from the past, to become an individual.

These are conflicting and troubling factors that have bothered humanity for centuries. In fact, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, a “nose job” can cause unexpected reactions from a patient’s friends or relatives, who relate nose shape to long- loved and revered familial facial traits. In spite of this, rhinoplasty ( a nose job) is one of the most popular cosmetic surgical procedures in the world. Why? According to New Image.com, any person who needs a “nose job” these days can afford it, due to “guaranteed financing” and only $99.00 down.

Then there is the Barbara Streisand Profile Nose,  possibly more famous than  Cyrano. In a 1977 Playboy interview, she admitted that her “deviated septum” is responsible for a “special quality” in her voice. She said that, “If I ever had my nose fixed, it would ruin my career.”

The nose is a valuable commodity in today’s retail market. For example, Target offers 529 different products on line, associated with noses. In addition to “Sparkle Chain Nose Pliers”, there are Venetian noses, blunt noses and assorted animal noses. There are nose pliers, nose tweezers, a men’s deluxe nose-hair trimmer and “pick your nose paper cups.” This is only the beginning. Noses are popular and can be trimmed and adorned with nose clips, nose pins, nose jewelry, nose tattoos, nose makeup and nose wipers. Handkerchiefs, of course, never go out of style.

 Famous smells we all know, love and despise

Ammonia

This is a chemical compound, NH3. It is normally a gas and is an important component to the nutritional needs of organisms, worldwide. It is a necessary ingredient in all foodstuffs and fertilizers. Chemically, it is a nitrogen atom, bound to three hydrogen atoms. The strong, pungent odor is easily recognizable in cleaning products, cat urine, fertilizer, and in some people – sweat.

Skunk Odor

Skunk musk is a mixture of seven ingredients. Six contain sulfur thiols (sulfer, oxyten and hydrogen)  that give skunk musk its awful smell. A person is able to smell skunk musk in concentrations as low as one part per billion. The skunk blows this out of two ducts. The spray can be adjusted, either to a mist or stream, just like your garden hose. It can be directed towards a specific target and can be shot up to 20 feet “with both barrels.” Make no mistake about it, this is not just a bad smelling chemical mixture, but when sprayed in the face of an animal, can temporarily blind and stun. Victims experience watering eyes, nasal irritation and nausea. Asthmatics can experience breathing problems. Rabies is NOT transmitted through skunk musk.

Smell of decay

Hydrogen sulfide, H2S, is the culprit here. Whether it’s the smell of rotten eggs, rotten flesh or degrading sewage, these molecules can damage concrete, metal sewer pipes and other mechanical equipment. No need to go into detail here about smelling rot. . When a turbinate in your nose encounters an H2S molecule, it wastes no time in sending the signal to your brain about death, decay or dying close by.

 The smell of flowers – roses, violets, etc.

First, flowers did not evolve their beautiful scents to attract YOU, although the sweet odor is amazingly calming . It takes ethylene, an almost hypnotic chemical, to help you enjoy that beautiful smell of a rose or the lingering scent of violets.   A flower needs to reproduce, just as any living thing. The chemical attraction is for bees and a multitude of   other animals that flit from bud to bud, picking up pollen and nectar from one and transferring it to the other. A flower scent can travel as much as 1800 miles, but due to manmade pollutants in today’s world, the more probable distance is less than 600 feet. A plant produces ethylene that enhances its lifespan as well as its scent.

 Vaginal odor

Books and scientific studies abound about this one. We know that short-chained fatty acids like acetic acid, propanoic acid and butonoic acid occur in vaginal secretions, in different quantities, and vary with the age and time of the menstrual cycle. These copulins probably account for normal vaginal odor. Aided by this, the female of every mammalian species has evolved a transmission method to attract the male, thus enabling continuation of the species throughout the ages. Does this work in humans? You bet it does. Al Pacino aside, the scent of a woman is attractive to sexual partners. Its pungency varies from woman to woman and changes with age. However, beware. If the odor is strong or unusual in any way, consider a medical workup to determine the cause.

Hospital smell

Here is a variety of smells, whiffs and odors, depending on where in the hospital you may be. Mainly, you can sniff mixtures of cleaning agents such as ammonia compounds and alcohol. Mix in a little dried blood and mucus, various exudates that waft through the air ducts, as well as  and the breath of your doctor, nurse or caregiver. It’s curious to note that this is the first smell and breath that a newborn encounters.

The smell of the battlefield

Only a select few of us live to relay this to others. It is indelible and unforgettable, consisting of gunpowder, blood, machine oil and decay. This is “The smell of Death.” When encountered after a battle, it remains forever in the minds of survivors. There are amazingly poignant narrations from  9/11 survivors that  are saturated with descriptions of smells, odors, whiffs and stinks. Count your blessings and thank your lucky stars that you have never experienced this type of “smell” first hand. If you have, be glad that you can describe it to others, and perhaps eliminate this smell forever. In doing so, you may be able to limit these descriptions to only second-hand accounts.

Google Jimmy Durante, you’ll go back to the days of vaudeville and live entertainment. A piano-playing waiter with, possibly, the largest “schnozzola” in the Western hemisphere, he was famous for laughing at his own deformity. Given a byline in a guest editorial, Durante, wrote,

“All of us have schnozzolas, if not on our faces, in our characters, minds or habits. We are, in short, ridiculous in one way or another. When we admire our schnozzolas, instead of defending them, we begin to laugh and the world laughs with us. What a great world it would be if we all learned to laugh at our schnozzolas. We wouldn’t have wars, suicides, race hatreds, or economic distress, and sickness of soul and body would be rare indeed.” Jimmy Durante, His Show Business Career, David Bakish, McFarland 1995.

The sense of smell is considered by many to be a divine gift. Many believe that your nose makes your personality, and that without it, “you wouldn’t be you.” There is some truth to all of this. Just think about it, and smell your way to a better world.