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A.B.

JAMA. 1970;212(3):472-473.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

For a neglected sense, olfaction has more than its fair share of metaphor. As men, we smell out such human concepts as success and trouble. Descending to canine ground we smell rats, or pick up the right scent, imagining ourselves to be terriers and bloodhounds. Masquerading as hounds of heaven, we detect the odor of sanctity, the reek of righteousness, and the stink of corruption.

But the experienced nonmetaphorical nose can still be useful in medical diagnosis to detect the fetor hepaticus of liver failure, the aroma of decomposing apples in diabetic acidosis, or the odor of freshbaked brown bread in typhoid fever. The skilled pediatrician can discern inborn errors of amino acid metabolism by characteristic odors.¹ A peculiar burnt sugar or malty scent appearing around the fifth or sixth day of life points to maple syrup urine disease. The aroma of an English brewery should suggest oast-house disease. . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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