742 
The  Chemistry  of  Odors. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
October,  1920. 
(a)  It  is  three  times  as  toxic  for  rodents. 
{h)  It  is  even  less  harmful  to  most  domestic  animals. 
The  one  point  against  the  use  of  squill,  however,  lies  in  the  fact  that 
at  present  it  is  somewhat  more  expensive  than  most  other  poisons. 
There  is  always  a  possibility  of  a  rat  dying  under  flooring  or 
behind  wainscoting,  either  through  poison  or  otherwise.  If  a  rat 
from  a  drain  takes  poison  and  cannot  regain  its  habitation,  the 
carcass  will  most  probably  become  putrid.  If  such  a  rat  dies  near  a 
fireplace  or  hot-water  pipe,  the  stench  will  be  intensified.  Chloride 
of  zinc  is  a  good  deodorizer  in  such  cases,  and  combines  with  and 
neutralizes  the  offensive  chemical  products  of  putrefaction.  If 
necessary,  a  hole  should  be  bored  with  a  bit  and  brace  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  supposed  source  of  origin  of  the  odor  if  possible.  Some  per- 
fume or  pinewood  oil  can  be  added  to  the  zinc  chloride,  which  should 
be  applied  through  the  hole.  A  cork  will  close  the  orifice,  and  can  be 
withdrawn  from  time  to  time  to  ascertain  whether  the  nuisance  has 
abated.  Where  possible,  however,  it  is  advisable  to  remove  the 
carcass  immediately  its  presence  has  been  detected. 
THE  CHEMISTRY  OF  ODORS.* 
Man  and  animals  alike  depend  on  their  senses  not  only  for 
physiologic  delight  but  also  for  the  warnings  against  various  dangers 
of  their  environment.  The  "twin  senses*'  smell  and  taste  exercise  a 
peculiarly  valuable  function  in  that  they  stand  ''like  sentries  at  the 
portals  of  the  body,  where  they  closely  scrutinize  everything  that 
enters."  Slosson^  has  fancifully  remarked  that  these  two  special  senses 
lead  us  to  the  heart  of  the  molecule  and  enable  us  to  tell  how  atoms 
are  put  together.  Sounds  and  sights  may  be  disagreeable,  but  they 
are  never  fatal.  A  man  can  live,  Slosson  writes,  in  a  boiler  factory  or 
in  a  cubist  art  gallery,  but  he  cannot  live  in  a  room  containing 
hydrogen  sulphide.  Until  recently  there  has  been  little  dependable 
information  available  about  the  chemical  nature  of  the  odoriferous 
substances  encountered  in  daily  life.  The  so-called  essential  oils, 
many  of  which  have  a  "fruity"  odor,  have  been  prepared  for  some 
time  in  the  laboratory.  Experts  remind  us,  however,  that  the  arti- 
ficial fruit  essences  are  usually  composed  of  a  mixture  of  substances 
without  any  guarantee  of  their  actual  occurrence  in  the  fruits  whose 
*  From  Jour.  Amer.  Med.  Assoc.,  Aug.  14,  1920. 
1  Slosson,  E.  E.:  "Creative  Chemistry,"  New  York,  The  Century  Com- 
pany, 1920. 
