What’s in the history of a smell?

Hunter Oatman-Stanford writes a very lengthy article for Collectors Weekly on smell.  You may end up wanting to take a shower after you read it.

In today’s highly deodorized world, where the notion of “chemical sensitivity” justifies bans on fragrance and our tolerance of natural smells is ever diminishing, we assume that to be without smell is to be clean, wholesome, and pure. But throughout the long and pungent history of humanity, smelling healthy has been as delightful as it has disgusting.

Full article: Our Pungent History: Sweat, Perfume, and the Scent of Death