MORE TRUTH ABOUT ODOUR washing. Feet are sometimes decorated by drawing patterns on them with saffron powder. The soles of the feet and the palms are often brushed with fine sand to make them whiter. Another common feature of South India is the chewing of pan leaves, these being usually taken with betel-nuts and slaked lime (with flavoured and scented tobacco). The value of the pan leaves is claimed to be four-fold: 1. It gives a similar effect to lipstick as it dyes the mouth and lips. 2. It acts as a deodorant, possibly due to the chlorophyll in the leaves. $. It aids in strengthening the gums. 4. It supplies calcium---from the lime used. Whatever the veracity of these claims, this habit of chewing is as predominant in India as a whole as is the chewing of spearmint gum in the United States. It is appreciated that the fringe only of the subject has been here touched upon, but it is hoped that some of the cosmetic habits of the East described above will have proved novel to Western readers. MORE TRUTH ABOUT ODOUR By WILLIAM McCARTNEY, Pi•.D., F.R.I.C. "Le probl•me de l'odeur est un probl•me particuli•rement irritant pour un esprit scientifique. •1 l'imprdcision du vocabulaire, s'ajoute le manque de bases solides et d'expdriences positives. Les donndes pr•cises sont encore tr•s rares. On ne saurait s'en dtonner, etant donnd la difficultd du sujet." BORNAND and MARTINET. IT IS said that Kohlrausch, the eminent German scientist, once remarked of Michael Faraday, "Er riecht die Wahrheit' ("He smells the truth"). The renowned English natural philosopher apparently never studied sensory physiology, but had he been alive to-day, what service to knowledge could he not have rendered by "smelling" the truth about olfaction ! For, indeed, we still remain very ignorant and, as Sparhawk reminded us a few years ago, we must not cease to enquire, "What's the truth about odour ?" (Perf. Ess. Oil Rec., 1945, 36, 187-190). Since established facts are not numerous, there has quite rightly been considerable speculation. If much of this has been unfruitful, however, the reason is, perhaps, because it has not been well grounded on results previously attained. And this failure to lay a foundation, in turn, occurs because, all too frequently, such results are unknown to those who express. opinions, make statements, or conduct experiments. 207'

MORE TRUTH ABOUT ODOUR washing. Feet are sometimes decorated by drawing patterns on them with saffron powder. The soles of the feet and the palms are often brushed with fine sand to make them whiter. Another common feature of South India is the chewing of pan leaves, these being usually taken with betel-nuts and slaked lime (with flavoured and scented tobacco). The value of the pan leaves is claimed to be four-fold: 1. It gives a similar effect to lipstick as it dyes the mouth and lips. 2. It acts as a deodorant, possibly due to the chlorophyll in the leaves. $. It aids in strengthening the gums. 4. It supplies calcium---from the lime used. Whatever the veracity of these claims, this habit of chewing is as predominant in India as a whole as is the chewing of spearmint gum in the United States. It is appreciated that the fringe only of the subject has been here touched upon, but it is hoped that some of the cosmetic habits of the East described above will have proved novel to Western readers. MORE TRUTH ABOUT ODOUR By WILLIAM McCARTNEY, Pi•.D., F.R.I.C. "Le probl•me de l'odeur est un probl•me particuli•rement irritant pour un esprit scientifique. •1 l'imprdcision du vocabulaire, s'ajoute le manque de bases solides et d'expdriences positives. Les donndes pr•cises sont encore tr•s rares. On ne saurait s'en dtonner, etant donnd la difficultd du sujet." BORNAND and MARTINET. IT IS said that Kohlrausch, the eminent German scientist, once remarked of Michael Faraday, "Er riecht die Wahrheit' ("He smells the truth"). The renowned English natural philosopher apparently never studied sensory physiology, but had he been alive to-day, what service to knowledge could he not have rendered by "smelling" the truth about olfaction ! For, indeed, we still remain very ignorant and, as Sparhawk reminded us a few years ago, we must not cease to enquire, "What's the truth about odour ?" (Perf. Ess. Oil Rec., 1945, 36, 187-190). Since established facts are not numerous, there has quite rightly been considerable speculation. If much of this has been unfruitful, however, the reason is, perhaps, because it has not been well grounded on results previously attained. And this failure to lay a foundation, in turn, occurs because, all too frequently, such results are unknown to those who express. opinions, make statements, or conduct experiments. 207'