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According to Patrick Süskind, 18th century Paris smelled like this: > [...] a stench barely conceivable to us modern men and women. The streets stank of manure
by lqet 6y ago
According to Patrick Süskind, 18th century Paris smelled like this:
> [...] a stench barely conceivable to us modern men and women. The streets stank of manure, the courtyards of urine, the stairwells stank of mouldering wood and rat droppings, the kitchens of spoiled cabbage and mutton fat; the unaired parlours stank of stale dust, the bedrooms of greasy sheets, damp featherbeds, and the pungently sweet aroma of chamber pots. The stench of sulphur rose from the chimneys, the stench of caustic lyes from the tanneries, and from the slaughterhouses came the stench of congealed blood.
> People stank of sweat and unwashed clothes; from their mouths came the stench of rotting teeth, from their bellies that of onions, and from their bodies, if they were no longer very young, came the stench of rancid cheese and sour milk and tumorous disease. The rivers stank, the marketplaces stank, the churches stank, it stank beneath the bridges and in the palaces. The peasant stank as did the priest, the apprentice as did his master's wife, the whole of the aristocracy stank, even the King himself stank, stank like a rank lion, and the Queen like an old goat, summer and winter. For in the 18th century there was nothing to hinder bacteria busy at decomposition, and so there was no human activity, either constructive or destructive, no manifestation of germinating or decaying life, that was not accompanied by stench. [0]
[0] https://www.amazon.com/Perfume-Story-Murder-Patrick-Suskind/dp/0394550846/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1607966211&sr=8-1 https://www.amazon.com/Perfume-Story-Murder-Patrick-Suskind/...
- treeman79 6y agoCan see why smoking was so popular. One smell your used to is a lot better than all that.
- NoOneNew 6y agoFor those that don't know, fermented tobacco smells way different than modern "cigarettes". Many non-smokers actually do enjoy the smell of an unlit real cigar, some even like the smoke smell (to a degree). As a cigar smoker, I could never smoke a Marlboro cig or of that ilk. Those smell horrid. All jokes aside, it's almost like the difference between organic and "conventional". So them using smoking as an air freshener is a pretty legit way of covering up horse shit stench. Before anyone says it, yes it's still bad for me, no I don't care.
- hengri 6y agoI can't tell them apart. Maybe I just like them both too much.
- xwdv 6y agoMost don’t care either, just do it far as hell away.
- Vrondi 6y agoThis. Real tobacco smells lovely until you light it on fire. The smoke stinks; not the actual tobacco.
- cbozeman 6y agoReally really high quality cigars can actually smell quite nice.
- YinglingLight 6y agoReally really cheap pipe tobacco smell quite nice too.
- stan_rogers 6y agoNo, they really don't. The "better" the cigar, the more disagreeable the smell of the smoke. And I say that as a (cigarette and pipe) smoker (and real snuff user) for more than forty years.
- cbozeman 6y agoYes, cigar smoking is bad for you, but the amount of cigars you need to smoke per day before your statistically significant risk of cancer increases is five. Yes, five. As in 5. And I don't mean "Black-N-Milds", I mean five robustos. Hilariously enough, this research was conducted by the American Lung Association. I became aware of it when a data scientist friend of mine who smokes cigars quite often was telling me about it. He tore the study apart, up and down, back and forth. It was solid science, or at least, solid data science. And I trust his opinion implicitly. Now for me, that'll never be a concern... I probably smoke 50-100 cigars a year, so I fall so far below the statistically significant risk of cancer that I don't even concern myself with it now.
- gregkerzhner 6y agoAs a non smoker, I've always found the actual smell of a burning cigarettes to be sweet and attractive. I think this is because some of my earlier memories are being a little boy waiting for the bus in freezing cold Russia, and seeing soldiers smoking. It looked warm and pleasant, so I think I associated the smell with pleasure. Places with stale smoke, like bars and smoker's houses still smell bad though. Its the actual smoke from a cigarette that I like the smell of.
- NoOneNew 6y agoGod... being Polish, there are so many jokes here and you know it :P I really dont know where to start. But it's also interesting because my parents smoked cigarettes too. Cant stand them. Cigars are my thing, but cigarettes... nope. It's such a weird repulsion too. The whole childhood memory link stuff is so weird and inconsistent or perhaps more complicated than we imagine.
- spullara 6y agoI have a theory that smoking often skips a generation because people as they become adults revolt against the status quo and don't want to be like their parents. Then the cycle repeats with their children rebelling by smoking. This is just anecdata though, would love to see a study on it.
- vaylian 6y agoMakes me wonder how much better the situation was in rural areas.
- Balgair 6y agoIt depends on the specific years and places, but cities have almost always been net negative on human life. In that they import people from the countryside due to heightened death rates in crammed 'urban' areas. Rural life has had a history of being 'clearer' and healthier as a result of lower density. Though the ravages of diseases tend to affect less populated areas worse as the inhabitants are not as immune to a variety of diseases, however this is debated. The rise of Romanticism / countryside-escape and the Industrial Revolution occur at the same time for the reasons the OP mentioned. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanticism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanticism
- jacobolus 6y agoThis is way too rosy about peasant agriculture and rural life in peasant societies. People primarily leave the countryside because they are literally starving to death there, and can’t get jobs. After moving to the city, people have access to more steady/reliable income and food supply, more material goods, more education, etc. Even though conditions are often dangerous and unpleasant, they are nonetheless an improvement, and people go back to their villages and encourage their friends to follow along.
- sixo 6y ago> pungently sweet aroma of chamber pots Is this the smell of urine, or something they applied to cover up smells of human waste?
- cmrx64 6y agoc diff proliferating in the solid waste?
- jelliclesfarm 6y agoIndole. Also what causes the sweet fragrance signature or jasmine and most fragrant white flowers. It’s the smell of poop and rotting waste. https://deathscent.com/2016/01/19/the-chemistry-of-death-and-desire/ https://deathscent.com/2016/01/19/the-chemistry-of-death-and... [..] What does fleshy tuberose, cooked Brussel sprouts, chocolate, the musk of human sex, faeces, and a decomposing body all have in common? Indole, dirty, sexy, carnal Indole. You have smelled it thousands of times without knowing its name, but if you are smelling something a little bit overripe, heavy, and with a strange sweetness, it is most likely Indole. Even untrained noses can pull out the waft of clammy decay in a magnolia blossom, the crotch-like quality to heady jasmine or the slightest smell of poop in roses. That is Indole.[..] Also: https://www.mizubrand.com/blogs/news/the-story-of-indole-in-natural-perfumery-white-florals https://www.mizubrand.com/blogs/news/the-story-of-indole-in-... [..] What gives florals their seductive power? Let me introduce you to a little compound called indole. Indole Molecure, White florals and indole in natural perfumery Indole is, by definition, an aromatic heterocyclic compound which contains a six-membered benzene ring, fused to a five membered nitrogen-containing pyrrole ring. If that doesn’t mean much to you, here’s the what you need to know; it smells. Perhaps poop isn’t the best description for indole. In its pure, isolated form, Indole is more like musty, wet, yet also a penetrating sharp-clean smell. A sort of odd combination of wet-dog, stale hot breath and moth balls all rolled into one. Yes, this compound does contribute to the smell of feces ( mixed together a cornucopia of other things ) but trace amounts are also founds in “White” florals, like Jasmines, Tuberose, Neroli, Orange Blossom Gardenia, etc. What really creates the signature aroma of #2 is really when high concentrations of indole are mixed with humidity and the surrounding decaying molecules found in poop.[..]
- 6y ago
- agumonkey 6y agoCan't find where, but recently there was an article about the birth of chemical sanitation which led to an odd cycle of cleaner surroundings followed by side effects from using all kinds of acids and solutions which smell was not pleasant too. Also I wonder if the countryside wasn't a lot better than big cities like paris ..
- airstrike 6y ago> Also I wonder if the countryside wasn't a lot better than big cities like paris .. Between Town and Country, the aristocracy has historically considered the former to be the lesser choice.
- iguy 6y agoIn many places, the aristocrats lived in the city for the winter (when the cold kept the smells and disease at bay) and in the country for the summer.
- handedness 6y agoI've spent long periods in the zero-tourism parts of some developing nations, and from an olfactory perspective (among others) the countryside is always infinitely preferable to big cities.
- anonunivgrad 6y agoGo hiking for a week without showering. You can smell the soap and shampoo on the day hikers from many yards away. You acclimate to just about anything.
- cgh 6y agoI went to school with a guy who stopped bathing. After a couple of weeks, he was so pungent that the smell actually became somewhat sharp and startling. Standing next to him was almost overwhelming. Eventually, school staff had to take him aside and mandate that he start showering. It's hard to imagine living in a world where everyone smelled that way all the time.
- thesuitonym 6y agoKeep in mind that our bodies are used to regular bathing, and overproduce the oils and grease and other "junk" on our skin and hair. Of course a person who stopped bathing for a few weeks would smell terrible, but I do wonder if a person who hadn't bathed in months or years would smell so bad? Honestly, I imagine that the smell would be strong, and not entirely pleasant, but not horrible. More akin to a roofer coming home after a hot day. Smelly, sure, but it's not overpowering, and I could see that smell just fading away if everyone smelled that way.
- gradsmellstawa 6y agoIn my grad program there were a few foreign exchange students that obviously didn't bathe very often and the smell was quite overpowering. Maybe diet contributes to it and we have more availability of spices and other pungent things. But I got assigned an office with one of the students and decided to hold office hours elsewhere. I believe hiding smells has been a thing for a long time so I can't imagine it just goes away.
- cgh 6y agoI'm sure you're right. Plus, it's not like people in the "olden days" didn't bathe at all, even if it was to just take a dip in a lake.
- standardUser 6y agoI think of this sometimes when people are being sensitive about a fart or some fish. Are we really so delicate that even ordinary natural smells have become intolerable? Wouldn't we be better off becoming reacquainted with natural smells instead of constantly trying and failing to avoid them?
- jgust 6y ago^ Found the person who microwaves 3 day old fish in the break room.
- nefitty 6y agoThe first time I encountered gumbo was its smell wafting from a microwave in a shared office space. I’m still astonished that anyone could tolerate that smell and actually find it pleasing. It reminded me of when my mom would bring home kimchi from her Korean friends... she reveled in the entire house squirming as she popped open those little jars.
- wincy 6y agoI once bought Limburger cheese as a joke. I was shocked to find that the flavor was delicious and it got totally eaten up at the party I brought it to, after people dared one another to try it and being similarly surprised at the deliciousness.
- sixstringtheory 6y agoSame! At this moment I have a Camembert in my fridge that can clear out the room once you open the fridge. Much stronger than Limburger. Also delicious.
- jelliclesfarm 6y agoI see your German Limburger..with all due respect to Camembert, I raise Livarot aka Le Colonel from Normandy. I expect it to remain uncontested in both the delicious and stinky category. The Limburger without the rind is a light weight.
- joshmaker 6y agoPerfume: The Story of Murder is a terrific historical fantasy novel (the movies version is great as well), but I wouldn't take anything it says as fact.
- anigbrowl 6y agoThen again, the Gauls were enthusiastic users of soap 2000 years ago. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soap#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soap#History
- crazygringo 6y agoI can't help but think this is intensely exaggerated. I've spent a lot of time in third-world countries where most people have no access to regular medical care and certainly not dentistry... and there's no stench of rotting teeth. There aren't smells of spoiled vegetables or rancid cheese or sour milk -- things are left fresh or composted out back or milk turns to yogurt but it doesn't smell. People may smell if you're within a few inches of them... but you're usually not. And likewise horses can be smelly when you're right next to them. But if Paris were really that stench-filled, surely there would be third-world places today that are the same? But I've never encountered anywhere anything like that. Feels like urban legend to me. Just like the myth about how spices were used to mask the smell of rotten meat. [1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_misconceptions#Food_history https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_misconceptions#...
- monster_group 6y ago>> surely there would be third-world places today that are the same? You seem to be implying that modern third world is so far behind so as to resemble 18th century Paris. While I agree with you that the quote in parent seems exaggerated I don't think even a modern very poor country will stink like 18th century London and Paris. 18th century was a time of horse driven transport and little to no sewer system. The main stench would be from those two things which in modern times is mostly absent even in poor third world countries.
- jacobolus 6y agoYes there are poor regions which are less developed than 18th century European cities. Many places in the world still do not have refrigeration, running water, electricity, sewers, paved roads, mechanized farming/milling/textile production, etc. People carry their own water, chop their own firewood, cook over a hearth fire in small hand-made thatched mud huts, make their own furniture, grow their own food (possibly using animals to plough), prepare their own food by hand from scratch, make their own clothing, do their laundry in a stream, poop in the woods or in an outhouse, clean themselves in a sweat bath or with a damp cloth, carry goods from place to place on their backs or in simple unpowered carts, etc. Though there are fewer and fewer such places as time goes on. For instance rural Mexico has changed dramatically in the past 2 generations.