It has already been remarked that individuals and animals have
their special odors, certain of which are very agreeable to some
people and extremely unpleasant to others. Many persons are not
able to endure the emanations from cats, rats, mice, etc., and
the mere fact of one of these animals being in their vicinity is
enough to provoke distressing symptoms. Mlle. Contat, the
celebrated French actress, was not able to endure the odor of a
hare. Stanislaus, King of Poland and Duke of Lorraine, found it
impossible to tolerate the smell of a cat. The Ephemerides
mentions the odor of a little garden-frog as causing epilepsy. Ab
Heers mentions a similar anomaly, fainting caused by the smell of
eels. Habit had rendered Haller insensible to the odor of
putrefying cadavers, but according to Zimmerman the odor of the
perspiration of old people, not perceptible to others, was
intolerable to him at a distance of ten or twelve paces. He also
had an extreme aversion for cheese. According to Dejan, Gaubius
knew a man who was unable to remain in a room with women, having
a great repugnance to the female odor. Strange as it may seem,
some individuals are incapable of appreciating certain odors.
Blumenbach mentions an Englishman whose sense of smell was
otherwise very acute, but he was unable to perceive the perfume
of the mignonette.
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