SMELLING OUT DISEASE

Evening Star, Issue 20139, 2 April 1929, Page 11

SMELLING OUT DISEASE

CHARACTERISTIC ODOURS A DOCTOR’S EXPERIENCE That every disease has its character' istic odour, and that 'physicians should train themselves to detect it by this moans, is the belief of Dr Curran Pope, medical director of Pope Hospital, Louisville, Kentucky. _ In an article contributed to “ American Medicine (New York), he tells ns that this art, once widely used for diagnosis, is now practically lost. His own ability to emplov it in some degrees has convinced him of its usefulness. .Writes Hr Pope: “The medical profession at the present time pays little attention to the matter, and does not attempt to use the olfactory organs as it should. In ihis dav of laboratory diagnosis a good many of “the older bedside helps have been side-tracked, and among them the use of smelling. Hr AA l iiiiam Mayo has called attention recently to the value of the sense of smell to the surgeon. The writer believes that the smell ol pus is rather characteristic, and, in fact, a number of the older diagnosticians did not reluso to use (heir noses ns a means of aiding thorn in (lie diagnosis of a disease. Hr Osier liefluently stressed the importance of the sense of smell in .deep infections and abscesses, especially of« the lung. 'lhe writer lias nob had much experience in the diagnosis or investigation cl smallpox, but believes that, the average physician could with a little practice soon learn to recognise the odour of this disease. His extremely difficult to describe a colour to one who has never seen colour similar to the one described, or who is blind. It is also- very difficult to describe an odour save by comparison with some of the well-known or easily-recognised odours ol everyday life.” Tim nose also knows pellagra, typhoid fever, diphtheria, and measles, we are assured :

“ The writer lifts Intel quite a good <lcal ol experience in the treatment ot pellagra. He and his associates leel that they can make a diagnosis almost from the smell alone. The odour its nearly as can be described is trait of sour or musty broad. Speaking in general terms, the presence ot peispiration seems to aid in Iho detection ot any abnormal or normal odour. Kuno lias called attention to normal and abnormal perspiring, lie divides [.topic into three categories:—(l) Those who have little ability to perspire, so that they barely sweat under a very high atmospheric temperature; (2) those who sweat in accordance with the necessities of the regulation of body temperature; (3) those who are always liable to sweat- lit the latter the sweat seefetion is purposeless from the point of view of heat regulation, or it goes much beyond the necessary amount. Those in the second group are normal. The third group who over-pevspire usually show signs of some abnormal condition. Normal people pass into this state when they are suffering from some illness. Kuno remarks that this sign seems to have a wide application, for diagnostic purposes. “ Our observations have been that odour for the purpose of diagnostic smelling is usually more difficult in those who do not perspire unless they arc the subject of a moderate or high temperature variation. For the testing ol odour the second class is, of course, the best. The third class of excessive sweaters as a rule emanate odours more pronouncedly than any other class. Wo all recognise the peculiar odour of the person suffering from sepsis. This is present both in the perspiration and in the breath. The writer, however, refers only to the odour that is given off by the body.

“ Both of my associates and myself are of the opinion that typhoid lever odour can bo easily detected by one whose olfactories are trained in tins direction. One of my associates, Dr Keefe, states that he can detect the odour of diphtheria and measles. There is very little difficulty in detecting the ammonical odour associated with a case of chronic cystilis. One might say that only a very few of the possibilities of olfaction have been touched upon in this paper. “There can he no question that all peoples and races possess racial and personal odour characteristics. This is amply borne out by the fact that a bloodhound can trace any individual by his peculiar odour. Some races have this odour very much more marked than others, probably because the olfactories of another race are more sensitive to that peculiar kind of smell, 'this, 1 think, is more pronouncedly the case with the negro. “In so far as the Anglo-Saxon is concerned, I believe that his olfactories are more easily attuned to the detection of this odour than they a.rc to the odours of other races, i have further observed that the mulatto has a different and even a lessened odour than the pure-blood African. Furthermore, an additional dilution, such as a quadroon, lessens tho odour and changes it somewhat. Perspiration under these conditions brings out the odour in marked degree. This is true even in those of the negro race who are careful and cleanly in their habits of, person and dress. They are not to blame for what is a racial characteristic any more than the Anglo-Saxon is to be blamed for his racial odour ..which the' bloodhound can follow in either instance.

“ In conclusion, it might be advised that the- cultivation of the power to ‘smell out disease’ should ■constantly he kept in mind as an aid anions many others in the diagnosis ol the diflercnt diseases to which human Jlush is heir.’’