SMELLING OUT DISEASE.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5374, 14 January 1929, Page 1

SMELLING OUT DISEASE.

CHARACTERISTIC ODOUBS. A DOCTOR’S EXPERIENCE. That every disease has its characteristic odour, andi that physicians sho.uld trailn themsplves to detect it by this means', 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 us that tin’s art; once widely used tor. d'iag-; iiQsis, is now practically lost. His own ability to employ it in some degree has convinced him of its usefulness. He writes,:—

“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. this day of laboratory diagnosis a good many of the older bedside helps have been side-,tracked, and among them the use of smelling. f Dr. Willi am Mayo has c,ailed attention recently to. the value of the serisp; of smell to the surgeon. The writer believes that the smell of pus is rather characteristic ; and, in fac.t, a number of the older diagnosticians did not refuse to use their noses as a means of aiding them in the diagnosis of a Dr. Osler frequently stressed the importance of the sense of smell in deep infections and abscesses, especially of the lung. The writer, has not had much experience in the diagnosis or investigation of smallpox, but believes that the average physi-i cian could, with a little practice, soon learn to recognise the odour of this disease. It is extremely difficult to describe a colour to one who has never seen, colour similar, to the one described, qr 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 of every-day life.” ■ ‘ DIAGNOSIS BY SMELL. The nose also knows pellagra, typhoid fever, diphtheria, and mea'.-jles, we are assured. “The writer has had quite a good deal of experience; in the treatment of ’ pellagra. He and his associates feel that they can make a diagnosis almost from the smell alone. The odour, as nearly as c.an bq described, is that of sour, or musty bread. Speaking in general terms, the presence of perspiration seems to aid i n the detection of any abnormal or normal odour. Kuno has, called attention to normal and abnormal perspiring. He divides people into three categories : (1) Those who have little ability to perspire, so that they bare-i ly sweat undtjr a very high atmospheric temperature; (2) those who sweat in accordance with tjie necessities of the regulation of body temperature ; (3) thosq .who are always liable; to sweat. In the first-named the sweat secretion is purposeless from the point of view of heat re|gu-i latiton, or it goes much beyond the

necessary amount. Those in the sec--0.114 group are normal. The third group, who over-perspire, usually show signs of some abnormal condition. Normal people pass into this s-tate 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 are the subject of a moderate or variation. For. the testing of odour the second class is, of course thq best. The third class, of excessive sweaters, as; a rule emanate odours pronouncedly than any other class. We all recognise the peculiar odour of the person suffering from sepsis. This is present both i n the perspiration and in the; breath. The writer, however, refers only to the odour given off by the body. "Both of my associates and myself ore of thej opinion that typhoid fever odour, can be easily detected by One whose olfactories are trained in this 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 ammonicaj odour, associated with a case of. chronic cystitis. One might say that only a very few of the possibilities of olfaction have been touched upon in this paper.

RACIAL AND PERSONAL ODOURS.

“There can be no question that all peoples and races possess racial and personal odour characteristics. This, is amply bo,rne out by the fact itlhat a bloodhound c ant race any individual by his peculiar odour. Some races have this odour very much mor.e marked than others, probably be-i cause the olfactories of race are more sensitive to that peculiar kind of smell. This I thilnk is mor® pronouncedly the case; witlh the negro. “Insofar as the Anglo-Saxon is concerned, I believe that his olfactories are more easily attuned to the detection of this o,dour than they are to the odours of otluejr rac.es. .1 have further, observed that the mulatto has a different and e;ven lessened odour than the pure-blood, African. Furthermore, an additional dilution, such as a quadroon, lessees the odour, and changes it somewhat, perspiration under ttie's,e. conditions brilngs out the odour in marked degree. This is true even In those; of the negro race who who are careful and 1 cleanly in their habits of person andi dress. “In conclusion, it might be advised! that the cultivation of the power, of ‘Smell o.ut disease’ should constantly to, be kept in mind as an aid among many others in the; diagnosis, 'of the different diseases to« which human flesh is heir.”