Aidan Travis Smell

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In the book, “A Natural History of the Senses” the author, Diane Ackerman, presents a lot of very interesting information about smells. One of the most interesting things to me that she brought forth was that when she was younger she smelt eucalyptus and now when she smells it as an adult, it always brings her this feeling of nostalgia over her. I have a very similar experience but with latex gloves. When I was a little older than one year old, I had open heart surgery to replace one of my heart valves. I don’t remember anything from this, but I had to get my fake valve replaced when I was eight years old. This I remember much more of, one of the things that I remember the most was the smells. One smell specifically, the latex gloves. Every time I smell those gloves in any context, I get this rush of emotions that I can’t explain. I loved being an eight year old and everyone came to see me when I was in the intensive care unit, but I also wanted to leave as soon as possible. This smell somehow brings me back to this time in my life, and I always think about how lucky I am to be alive today. I also attribute this smell to security. Most people don’t like to go to the hospital because it isn’t usual for them. For me, when I was growing up, I would spend a lot of time in the hospital, this became comforting, knowing that someone was going to take care of me meant I could relax. When I smell the smells of latex gloves or other smells that one would smell in the hospital, I get a feeling of relaxation. For some reason, this smell can bring a whole cloud of emotions over me, giving me relaxation, anxiety and gratefulness all at once. Smell is truly one of the strangest senses that we as humans have.

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