Smell Detectives: An Olfactory History of Nineteenth-Century Urban America

Weyerhaeuser Environmental Books

by Melanie A. Kiechle, Paul S. Sutter (Foreword)

What did nineteenth-century cities smell like? And how did odors matter in the formation of a modern environmental consciousness? Smell Detectives follows the nineteenth-century Americans who used their noses to make sense of the sanitary challenges caused by rapid urban and industrial growth. Melanie Kiechle examines nuisance complaints, medical writings, domestic advice, and myriad discussions of what constituted fresh air, and argues that nineteenth-century city dwellers, anxious about the air they breathed, attempted to create healthier cities by detecting and then mitigating the most menacing odors.

Medical theories in the nineteenth century assumed that foul odors caused disease and that overcrowded cities--filled with new and stronger stinks--were synonymous with disease and danger. But the sources of offending odors proved difficult to pinpoint. The creation of city health boards introduced new conflicts between complaining citizens and the officials in charge of the air. Smell Detectives looks at the relationship between the construction of scientific expertise, on the one hand, and "common sense"--the olfactory experiences of common people--on the other. Although the rise of germ theory revolutionized medical knowledge and ultimately undid this form of sensory knowing, Smell Detectives recovers how city residents used their sense of smell and their health concerns about foul odors to understand, adjust to, and fight against urban environmental changes.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Science, Nature

352 pages, Hardcover

First published June 20, 2017

Reviews

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you actually think about the premise of this book, that smell was thought to denote the healthfulness of the air, it makes a lot of sense. I can't believe I'd never thought about it!

Keichle also includes an interesting how-to guide to make scented oils.

Overall very interesting and I would recommend to anyone interested in environmental history!

[Lila · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating view of the pre-germ theory understanding of smells by the general public. It explains, for example, why we have window boxes of flowers. This is well researched and worth reading. The illustrations and maps alone are worthwhile.

Unfortunately, the writing feels like a master's thesis at times with each chapter ending with a perfunctory summary of points. Some major insights could have been better highlighted with revision. While I try not to edit as I read, the confusion between the use of reign/rein should have been caught at the publisher's end.

[Stuart Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the United States industrialized in the 19th century and cities began to grow, the smells, foul odors, stenches and other offenses to the nose spurred many improvement attempts, first based on the miasma theory of sickness and disease. This book traces those activities and provides a fascinating look at what 19th century urban life was like with regards to the air. Too bad there isn't an accompanying "scratch and sniff" card for the brave of heart!

[Nikki Deeley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 27 of 2024: Smell Detectives - Melanie A. Kiechle

Smell Detectives explores the way 19th Century Americans identified sanitary challenges, caused by the rapid industrial and urban growth of the period, through their sense of smell.

Review:
⭐️ 3/5

An interesting read and clearly very well researched and understood by the author. It was fascinating to see how people had understandings of the impacts of smells and germs before the science was established. It appears there was a lot of common sense in the 19th century! It was very interesting to hear how smell guided the design of cities such as New York - definitely something I’d never know before this book. I also appreciated women being represented in the book as they are often overlooked in history (especially scientific history). The book did read more like a dissertation than a non-fiction book which did make the experience a little drier than expected - even with a scientific background, it felt more like reading a thesis than a book.

Challenges:
📚Books in 2024: 27/60
📚52 Book Club Challenge: 13/52
📚Prompt #2 of the 52 Book Club Challenge: Bibliosmia: A Smelly Book

Book Information:
📖 Pages: 352
📖 Format: Audiobook
📖 Type: Non-Fiction
📖 Genre: Science, History

Favourite Quotes:
“Stoves - the favourite poison of America”
“If you smell something, say something”

[lilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really interesting explorative delve into pre-germ theory understanding of smells and early development of public health infrastructure. I feel that with modern understanding of science and medicine it can be tempting to mock theories such as miasma, but I enjoyed how it was portrayed and explained as “common sense,” and particularly liked how housewives were recognized for their contributions. The writing was rather academic, which didn’t bother me but it could come across as dry at times.

[Carolyn Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating information, but at times it reads more like a dissertation than a book for an average reader like me. After the first two or three chapters, I found myself skipping sections. I blame myself and not the book.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I realized about halfway through this book that I really wished it was written for a popular audience rather than an academic one. I was intrigued by the topic but found the book to be a bit dry and repetitive for me.

[Liam · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look at how smell can be used to write, and create, history.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent history on the development of public health and how smell affected how society handled illness.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very informative to how we consider smells. We all tend to use our sense of smell to test if a fruit is ripe and ready to eat. This book has some interesting insights to explore.

[Margaux Tatin Blanc · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fantastic topic, this could have been a great book, but it reads like a thesis, and not a well edited one at that... TOO BAD!