The science and myths of smell

Abstract

![][1] Jacobson's Organ and the Remarkable Nature of Smell by Lyall Watson W W Norton & Co., New York, NY 255 pages, US$ 24.95039 304 9086 The sense of smell presents us with a conundrum. While we find certain smells pleasing, for example the scents of flowers, we often object to human odours and spend a great deal of effort and money disguising our own smell. This delightful book by Irish naturalist and author Lyall Watson investigates the role of smell in the animal and plant kingdoms and attempts to unravel its mysteries. During the course of this adventure, we are taken to some exotic locations and witness some extraordinary examples of animal and plant behaviour. There are, for example, the Ongee people of the Andaman Islands who elevate the sense of smell to a cosmic principle, believing that odour is the source of personality and that their spirit resides in the nose. We are told that some Mexican men still believe that their breath odour is more responsible for … [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif