Monday, July 13, 2015

How to Deodorize, 1605

Antonio Salamanca, The History of Psyche (16th c., Wellcome Library)
"We will here discouer and discourse of the lothsome stench of the armepits... and how nearer that the stench is to the nose, so much the lothsomer is it. This stench is augmented through great labour at hot times, through want of shifting and alteration of clothes, through great incontinencie, and through some corrupted humors of the body. Then for to remedie this stench, it is needful (according to the quality of the person) that all such are to be purged and let bloud, and that they afterwards do bath in these odoriferous herbes, as Mints, Melilot, Lauander, Ireos, and such like... Marmalade with spices doth also expel all stench."  
Christoph Wirsung, The General Practise of Physicke
If changing clothes and bloodletting don't do the trick, there's always preserved fruit.

5 comments:

  1. I'll be sure to keep marmalade on hand, in case I run out of my speed stick

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  2. How appropriate for the heatwave we are having in Italy!! Thanks...

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  3. I'll definitely try the marmalade first! So...do I eat it or apply it directly to the area of the lothsome stench?

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  4. At this point, I'm starting to considerate this marmalade option very seriously

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  5. I've tried using Old Spice, but not actual spice...

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