Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 240, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 October 1911 — ODORS AND MOISTURE. [ARTICLE]

ODORS AND MOISTURE.

■ 1 i , ; A Scheme That Is Said to Improve the Sense of Smell. “The most striking fact connected with my School enreer," said the prep school graduate, “was a peculiar ability on ihe part of our commandant to the faintest odor of smoke In a room on his daily inspection. The school I attended was of the military variety, hnd smoking was a rather serious offense. No matter how much a .room bad been aired or fanned with wet towels previous to the inspection, the offender was always caught. •’After I had received my finishing touches .and become a citizen I made so bold as' to inquire from what peculiar dispensation of providence the ability was given to detect one molecule of smoke in a hundred cubic feet of pure air. The old boy smiled and, binding me to secrecy. Imparted the reason of his wonderful ability. Then he took me to a boy’s vacated room and told me to wet my finger and rub my nostrils with it and sniff. Lo and behold, where before there seemed no taint in the atmosphere was now detected that smell of old tobacco smoke! Since then I have taught school myself and have used the trick occasionally, entirely for experimental purposes, however. “1 have also sought the scientific explanation. but with little success. It may. however, be somewhat analogous to the process of tasting. You know, it is impossible to taste anything that is not dissolved in water or is not a liquid itself. So the moisture on the nostrils must carry the small particles of smoke lu a more or less damp state to the olfactory nerve ends and thus make the smell more apparent. At least this is the only explanation I have ever found for the phenomenon. “The enmeshing can also be used for detecting other odors, and l have found it useful on a number of occasions for this purpose, both in analytical chemistry. wheD only a small particle of a certain material is available for analysis, and in detecting faint fume from flowers that are ordinarily quite odorless.’’—Chicago Record-Her-ald.