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06766_Field_TCUM T331.txt
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1996-04-10
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seasons and zodiacal signs were simultaneously indicated by a
succession of carefully ordered scents. The sense of smell, long
considered the root of memory and the unifying basis of
individuality, has come to the fore again in the experiments of
Wilder Penfield. During brain surgery, electric probing of brain
tissue revived many memories of the patients. These
evocations were dominated and unified by unique scents and
odors that structured these past experiences. The sense of
smell is not only the most subtle and delicate of the human
senses; it is, also, the most iconic in that it involves the entire
human sensorium more fully than any other sense. It is not
surprising, therefore, that highly literate societies take steps to
reduce or eliminate odors from the environment. B.O., the
unique signature and declaration of human individuality, is a
bad word in literate societies. It is far too involving for our
habits of detachment and specialist attention. Societies that