Notes & Queries, 19th December 2013: What makes a smell good or bad?

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Research from Estonia would suggest a degree of olfactory conditioning occurs during the second trimester of pregnancy. 

The study, published in 2006 by Frankel & Rummo, documents a three year investigation into the development of the olfactory sense. Among their findings, the writers demonstrated that, around the 20th week of pregnancy, the womb begins to secrete fluids that emit unpleasant odours and induce mild nausea in a developing foetus. Laboratory analysis of these odours revealed that they are similar in nature to those indicating the presence of disease, stagnation or decomposition. It is likely therefore that this process evolved as a survival trait. 

Although there is no definitive proof, the authors speculate that these fluids also play a role in the fine-tuning and 'reinforcement' of the nervous system.

They observed that olfactory refinement continues into the third trimester. Children who are born prematurely may have a diminished or less nuanced response to odours. 

There has been some debate as to whether it is possible to train and broaden the range of the olfactory sense before birth. A vocal advocate of this theory is Edith Morwood, matriarch of the Morwood Perfumery in London (the Morwood building on the Strand has a glass roof shaped like a perfume bottle and is well worth a visit). She attributes the “keen noses” of her two sons, Andrew and David, to her inhalation of scented oils throughout her pregnancy.  

Whether this is true or not, both men have demonstrated a remarkable ability to identify and separate the ingredients of different scents by smell alone. In 2012, David Morwood underwent a brain scan which revealed above-average activity in his limbic system when he was exposed to trace quantities of perfume and other natural odours. 

Both men claim that their wives followed similar regimes to Edith Morwood during their respective pregnancies. In the case of Andrew's wife, Helen, this was quite limited in scope, owing to her numerous allergies. 


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