The Foul and the Fragrant: Odor and the French Social Imagination
Published Dec 1, 1987 · R. Grew, A. Corbin
Journal of Interdisciplinary History
459
Citations
11
Influential Citations
Abstract
Attempting to put the sense of smell on the historical map, the author of this book conveys the power that smells - from the seductress's civet to the ubiquitous excremental odours of city cesspools - exercized over the lives (and deaths) of Frenchmen in the 18th and 19th centuries. Integrating an impressive range of disciplines - the histories of science and medicine, urban studies, public health, psychohistory, and literary criticism - Corbin lays bare the deeper implications of smell for science, society, and literature.
Study Snapshot
Key takeawaySmells, from seductress's civets to city cesspools, shaped the lives and deaths of Frenchmen in the 18th and 19th centuries, impacting science, society, and literature.
PopulationOlder adults (50-71 years)
Sample size24
MethodsObservational
OutcomesBody Mass Index projections
ResultsSocial networks mitigate obesity in older groups.