3 ms·

Interesting that some science deniers in our modern times use scents in the form of essential oils to fend off or even treat diseases. Are there no written rec

• mumblemumble 6y ago
  I'm sure there are, but, in a pre-scientific age, such accounts have a tendency to be rather unreliable. Where bubonic plague is primarily transmitted by flea bites, the plague doctor gear is ultimately a personal protective equipment version of the Maginot Line. But it would plausibly offer some protection against contracting pneumonic plague from getting coughed on all the time.
• rsynnott 6y ago
  The application of the scientific method to medicine is surprisingly modern (only really became standard in the late 19th century). There'll certainly be people claiming they worked, but they wouldn't have felt the need to produce evidence of this.
• saltcured 6y ago
  Many of the traditional oils do have observable effects, which is why they were selected and became traditions in the first place. They can have immediate and obvious effects on circulation, the sinuses, the bronchii, etc. Some may even have other medicinal aspects to manage inflammation. However, these observable effects are often more about managing symptoms and perception than with having any protective or curative mechanism. This is where the you run into problems. A reduction in symptoms does not necessarily correlate well with a reduction in pathogens or other disease processes, so you might have the same (or worse) outcome as without treatment, or might put yourself into risky situations with a false sense of security...