Yes, people can smell that bad. I once had a desk in the front of VA hospital and people thought I was the receptionist and would ask me the questions. Once this guy comes in. A little dusty and worn, but nothing really unusual. As he stood in front of my desk, the smell came like a literal wave across me and I honestly couldn’t hear him; senses were starting to shut down. I waved him towards the real receptionist and watched as her eyes crossed – yes, they actually crossed.
I can’t remember where we finally sent him, but I was hoping it has a shower and an incinerator to burn those clothes.
Mom tells of when she was a girl (circa 1920). As fall faded into winter, everyone was sewn into their long johns until spring. With a asafoetida bag of smelly herbs to ward off diseases.
Meanwhile both the Chinese and Japanese bathed regularly, for the last thousand years or so. Which was one reason why they called the Europeans barbarians. As I discovered when I was in Vietnam, people whose diet has a lot of meat, stink. Can be smelled for quite a distance in the jungle. Of course, the Vietnamese ate fish sauce also stank to my nose.The Romans bathed regularly, but somehow when the “dark ages” came around, everything the Romans had done was forgotten. In Paris and London at that time you had mud roads horses pooped on them and everyone dumped their chamber pots right in the street. No wonder the Black Plague-which BTW, still exists, but public sanitation is also back so far fewer people die from it(found on Kangaroo rats in the US Southwest)-killed off so many people. The Romans figured out and practiced public sanitation as we can tell from ruins.Think about the total stench from the animals, the garbage and contents of chamber pots along with people never bathing. Boy that must have been enough to make the Europeans at least, totally nose blind. Wonder what the North American first people thought when interacting with those first nose blind Europeans who never washed or bathed.
The Enlightenment was a necessary step to the Industrial Revolution which led to, among other marvels, mass-produced soap and factory-made clothing that could endure being washed regularly.
Darsan54 Premium Member about 6 years ago
Yes, people can smell that bad. I once had a desk in the front of VA hospital and people thought I was the receptionist and would ask me the questions. Once this guy comes in. A little dusty and worn, but nothing really unusual. As he stood in front of my desk, the smell came like a literal wave across me and I honestly couldn’t hear him; senses were starting to shut down. I waved him towards the real receptionist and watched as her eyes crossed – yes, they actually crossed.
I can’t remember where we finally sent him, but I was hoping it has a shower and an incinerator to burn those clothes.
Cheapskate0 about 6 years ago
Reminds me of when I was stationed in Germany, 1983!
Ignatz Premium Member about 6 years ago
I you bathed once a week, you were a clean freak. They covered the smell with perfume. Yummy.
Greyhame about 6 years ago
Mom tells of when she was a girl (circa 1920). As fall faded into winter, everyone was sewn into their long johns until spring. With a asafoetida bag of smelly herbs to ward off diseases.
timbob2313 Premium Member about 6 years ago
Meanwhile both the Chinese and Japanese bathed regularly, for the last thousand years or so. Which was one reason why they called the Europeans barbarians. As I discovered when I was in Vietnam, people whose diet has a lot of meat, stink. Can be smelled for quite a distance in the jungle. Of course, the Vietnamese ate fish sauce also stank to my nose.The Romans bathed regularly, but somehow when the “dark ages” came around, everything the Romans had done was forgotten. In Paris and London at that time you had mud roads horses pooped on them and everyone dumped their chamber pots right in the street. No wonder the Black Plague-which BTW, still exists, but public sanitation is also back so far fewer people die from it(found on Kangaroo rats in the US Southwest)-killed off so many people. The Romans figured out and practiced public sanitation as we can tell from ruins.Think about the total stench from the animals, the garbage and contents of chamber pots along with people never bathing. Boy that must have been enough to make the Europeans at least, totally nose blind. Wonder what the North American first people thought when interacting with those first nose blind Europeans who never washed or bathed.
sandflea about 6 years ago
They believed in water conservation.
pschearer Premium Member about 6 years ago
The Enlightenment was a necessary step to the Industrial Revolution which led to, among other marvels, mass-produced soap and factory-made clothing that could endure being washed regularly.