Sunday, May 28, 2017
Karl Wuensch and Anosmia
Karl Wuensch was going about his normal, daily life activities when something seemed off. He had incidents where he could not smell foods if they were old. There was also a major incident where he could not smell a very strong odor of propane, which could have been harmful for his health. Soon enough, he had gone to the doctor. When the test results came in, he learned that he became anosmic, which means losing your sense of smell. When Wuensch was diagnosed with anosmic, he started searching for information to get a good grasp on his diagnosis. He found that roughly two million Americans with anosmic go uncured. When asked what he misses the smell of most, he replies with "People. I didn't expect how much I would miss the smell of people." I thought his comment was very interesting, mostly because I would probably say the same thing. I feel as if I am always smelling the different scents of people, especially that specific house scent. Karl also comments that it's just not the same being with people when you can't smell them
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ReplyDeleteI really liked that you chose to write a post about this topic because while I was reading this chapter I found myself really thinking about what scents I would miss the most if I was diagnosed with anosmia. I happen to agree with Karl and you about missing the smell of people. I to this day miss the scent of my grandfather because while I was growing up he continually used the same aftershave every morning. For me, I would miss the most basic scents from people to the ocean to even a real Christmas tree. I never realized how difficult it would be to be able to smell all your life and then one day wake up and not be able to smell anything anymore. Once you lose your sense of smell, suddenly you rely heavily on your sense of touch, taste, and hearing in order to make up for the lost sense. This section was extremely eye catching and I loved that someone else saw it the same way I did!
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read about Karl I was blindsided by the fact that anosmia was a real problem in the United States! Often times you hear about people losing their eye sight or the ability to hear, but I personally have never hear of anosmia. After reading what Karl missed most was the smell of people, it really opened my perspective. There are so many little things that we take for granted without realizing it, including our senses. After analyzing my day, I realized how much I really do rely on my sense of smell. I really enjoyed that the author, Lawerence Rosenblum, incorporated Karl's story.
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