ODORS AND LIFE. 197 



from table and took flight whenever he saw apples upon 

 it. History tells us that Louis XIV. could not bear per- 

 fumes. Gre"try was greatly annoyed by the odor of roses ; 

 that of .a hare caused Mdlle, Contat to faint. Odors which 

 disgust us, like that*of asafcetida and of the valerian-root, 

 are on the contrary highly enjoyed by the Orientals, who 

 use these substances for condiments. Among other singu- 

 lar instances related by Cloquet on this subject, we will 

 mention that of a young girl who took the greatest delight 

 in inhaling the scent of old books, and that of a lawyer to 

 whom the exhalations of a dunghill yielded the most 

 agreeable sensations. So that it is out of our power to fix 

 general rules with respect to the influence of odors on our 

 organs, and the character of the sensations which they ef- 

 fect in us ; still, from a purely physiological point of view, 

 it is certain that some of them exercise a uniform influence. 

 Chardin and other travelers mention that, when musk-hunt- 

 ers take from the animal the pouch containing musk, they 

 must have the nose and mouth covered by a cloth doubled 

 in several folds, if they would escape violent haemorr- 

 hage. 



The smell of the lily, the narcissus, the tuberose, the 

 violet, the rose, the elder, etc.-, when it reaches a certain 

 point of concentration, usually exerts an injurious influence 

 on the system. It occasions more or less severe headaches, 

 fainting-fits, and sometimes even more serious disorders. 

 Some odors which have an agreeable perfume in a state of 

 considerable diffusion, gain when concentrated a noxious 

 and sometimes dangerous smell. This is particularly true 

 of civet, patchouli, and the essences of neroli and thyme. 

 Scientific records mention several cases of death occasioned 

 by the poisonous action of some odorous emanations. It 

 has been remarked that plants of the family of labiates, 

 such as sage, rosemary, etc., offer in this respect no sort of 

 risk, and seem rather to possess wholesome properties. Yet 



