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Goodbye Smell, Hello Misery

You lose more than the ability to sniff roses without this key sense

By Kate Rockwood,  Newser Staff

Posted Jul 10, 2008 9:25 PM CDT
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(Newser) – When ranking physical attributes we’d hate to lose, most people put sense of smell at the bottom, on par with losing a big toe. But when Elizabeth Zierah lost hers—and thus her sense of taste—3 years ago after catching a cold, the ensuing string of scentless and flavorless days transformed her into "an observer watching the character of me," she writes in Slate.

For an estimated 2 million Americans, loss of appetite joins diminished sex drive, anxiety, depression, and fears of secretly stinking in the list of miserable side effects. For Zierah, apples turned into a crunchy pleasure, while past favorites like coconut curry registered as mushy and off-putting. Still searching for a cure, Zierah notes one upside: The ability to painlessly do "those things loved ones dread, like changing cat litter."

Losing her sense of smell made one Slate author feel like she was watching a movie of her life, rather than living in it.
Losing her sense of smell made one Slate author feel like she was watching a movie of her life, rather than living in it.   (Getty Images)
More than 2 million Americans suffer from a loss of smell, Slate reports.
More than 2 million Americans suffer from a loss of smell, Slate reports.   (Index Stock)
A survey found that when people rank loss of physical attribute, most people put their sense of smell on par with losing a big toe.
A survey found that when people rank loss of physical attribute, most people put their sense of smell on par with losing a big toe.   (Flickr)
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