THE USE OF PERFUMES.

Otaki Mail, Volume XXIII, 8 December 1920, Page 4

THE USE OF PERFUMES.

There is a great deal said and written for and against the use of perfume, but a side of the question which is seldom touched upon is tbe fact- that perfumes have certain medicinal values. The ancients recognised this, and one of the Latin writers has put more'than a hundred different scents on record which are remedies for disease. Among these the violet has a more important place than any other flower. But it is essential that the essence should be pure and made from the flower. A large percentage of the violet water on the market is only a chemical imitation, and chemi-cally-made perfumes are irritating to the nerves, if not positively injurious. The idea which our grandmothers had of scenting the sheets with lavender was not alone to please the aesthetic sense of the person who slept between. Lavender is soothing to the nerves and a great sleep promoter. Some retreshing perfumes are stimulating, but lavender combines refreshment and relaxation. Another perfume which has a distinct medicinal value is jasmine. Old writers suggest it as a general tonic, but they add the teaming that though when taken alone it is a boon, it is in most compounds injurious, producing nerve exhaustion and profound depression. Chemists find many interesting experiments in the compounding of scents. Almost all perfumes have as a basts ambergris or civet. And while they are most necessary, great care must be observed in their use. for a grain too much will make the scent distressingly irritating to the wearer.