Stuff put under nose during autopsy...

The skunk-thing is rather heart-warming and it has a little more "ommph" if cotton-thing was used earlier. But in makes sense that the little girl in the story would use cotton. Earlier in the story she had to deal with a dead body and it made her barf. Days later she needs to go to a place she knows a body will be and it would be only logical that she would attempt to block the smell.

 

Ahaaa. Yeah if the character is a little girl, then it would make sense. It would actually serve as rather cute kid logic

 

Just what on earth do you do to end up in situations like that!?

 

Both the tongue and the olfactory nerves are involved in taste. And blocking the nasal passages in the nose would not block the olfactory nerves, they are wide open via the pharynx (back of the mouth).

At most something strong like menthol would mask the smell, but odor stimulating molecules would not be blocked from reaching the olfactory nerve endings.

I don't know if there are any molecules in decomposing flesh that are registered on the tongue. But given taste is a combination of both the tongue and olfactory sensors, I agree, mouth breathing might add the sensation of 'tasting' the smell.

I found this discussion of the molecules involved to be quite interesting: Why death smells so deadly

Chemoreception is fascinating. Once I heard tires skidding, I was in the backyard and the car skidding was a house and lot away from my yard. Almost instantly I could smell the burning rubber. It was so close to instantaneous it got me imagining just how fast the responsible molecules had travelled from the street to my yard.

But I digress.

 

Why was there dead livestock in a freezer floating in an ocean...?

And why on earth are you still in this job!? It sounds horrifying!

 

The chicks, of course.

 

Then guys ain't dumb.

 

I always forget the other, probably original meaning of "ranger". I had you in a zodiac with a supressed bullpup for a moment there.

 

You had me imagining you opened a fridge with actual dead livestock - as in, the full cow with its head and hooves and all and bloodied eyes. Sides of meat ain't livestock man!!

As for "how to get rid of a dead dolphin" - that sounds like you learnt from bitter experience...

 

Don't know if you got the answer about corpse odor, but I used Tiger Balm. 10% camphor and 11% menthol. Didn't make it smell good, but you could survive.

 

I’m also a scientist (software and physics.)

Yes, you taste smells. Your tongue and nose work together almost all the time.

And yes, if you block your nose, the cavity will fill with whatever went into your lungs. It’ll be subtle because the pressure is more or less not very high, but entropy will cause it to all eventually mix.

 

Also, how much would a corpse actually smell?

Fresh corpses don’t smell, only rotting ones do. Autopsies are done quickly after death, any rotting would contaminate the results. The corpses are also kept cold until they’re ready.

I imagine the smell is like a butcher shop, not compost. You’re probably thinking it’d be like a slaughter house instead of a butcher shop, but slaughter houses do things in bulk and they aren’t sterile.

 

Use too clean ambulances.its a home made mix .Vaseline..and any type of scented oil ..go like too candle making store .dont use vicks makes it worst belives it burns your nose.sure my mother use too put it under my nose.when i had a stuffed up nose..but for covering up the smell of roting body parts .pu some with gangrene.puss allover the wagon ..turn the wagon on end clean it all up before next run .lol no we dont turn a station wagon on end but wished i could some times .

 

This thread is three years old. I imagine the body's been cremated by now.

 

You made me lol too

 

So he was finally banned, was he? I've missed that guy.

 

Ah, Pinky. Popped his head up and took a couple random drunken swings at me a few months before he finally was shown the exit by the previous team.

I have nothing but best wishes for him in all his future endeavors, but if he ever needs a reference, mine will be quite honest.

 

He was kind of a jackass but you got a real bang for your buck in terms of entertainment value.