“Smell Detectives” by Melanie Kiechle: Concept and Relevance Essay (Book Review)

Introduction

‘The Smell Detectives’ is a book that focuses on a concerted effort by physicians and public health officials to promote hygiene in the United States’ urban centers. In the pre-Civil War era, the number of cities had started expanding very fast. The cities of New York and Chicago were some of them. Economic prosperity and infrastructural development attracted many people to New York and Chicago. However, hygiene was becoming a major concern (Chudacoff et al. 89). Sanitary authorities came up with mechanisms of keeping the city clean. It majorly involved eliminating offensive odors. They argued that the concept, which women often use to keep their houses clean, can be used in enhancing hygiene in the cities. The sanitation process also involved eliminating street children because of the general belief that they also contribute to poor hygiene in the city. This paper provides a review of this book and its relevance in modern society.

Discussion

Major Themes, Ideas, and Characters

One of the most important themes that come out clearly in this book is the sense of smell and its significance in promoting hygiene in the major cities of the United States before the Civil War. As the urban centers started taking shape, the society became increasingly intolerant towards bad smell and unhygienic environment. Kiechle says, “Over time, manners increasingly prohibited discussing smell in polite conversations” (9). The theme of urban culture also comes out clearly in this book. Kiechle says, “Historical studies of smell have argued that odors and olfaction played a more important cultural role in Western societies before the Enlightenment’s emphasis on reason celebrated sight as reliable and denigrated olfaction as a lower and animalistic sense” (9). The statement demonstrates the level of hate that the society had towards the bad smell. Urban culture was being created that eliminated discussing smell in conventional discussions. In that era, the bad smell was a characteristic associated with sick cities.

It was in this era that American society started building public parks in major urban centers as a way of building fresh air. Kiechle says, “To encourage funding for public parks as ‘urban lungs’ that would provide fresh air to everyone, Griscom touted New Yorkers’ extraordinary efforts to secure freshwater” (21). They believed that the parks would provide trees and vegetation to help in providing clean air. Another important idea brought out in the book is the emergence of diseases in major cities during this era. Kiechle says, “Thus, by the 1840s, many Americans thought of New Orleans as an epidemic city, where outbreaks of malaria, cholera, and yellow fever were annual occurrences” (29). They believed that the diseases were caused by unhygienic conditions in the city that had become an industrial center. The book mentions several characters who played varying roles in promoting public hygiene. Statistician Lemuel Shattuck and health reformer Dr. Edward Jarvis are some of the characters mentioned to have played an important role in pushing for the Massachusetts Registration Act of 1842 (Patel 64). Edward H. Barton, who was a physician and Dr. J. S. McFarlane, played a critical role in promoting hygiene in New York City.

Author’s Argument

The author argues that in the period preceding the Civil War, American society was greatly concerned about the increasing levels of wastes in the cities and its impact on public health. From a social perspective, people hated the smell that came from the wastes. Health experts were also warned against the health consequences of dirt, especially in and near residential areas (Levy 28). The author believed that although the concern was legitimate and well-intentioned, the approach was rather more authoritarian. For instance, the culture that was created prohibiting discussion of smell informal and polite discussions was misplaced. The society had reached a level where the smell was considered a taboo. Although this approach made it possible to convince many people to abhor dirt and maintain high standards of cleanliness, it also limited the ability of public health officials to clearly articulate the health consequences of such bad odors.

Evidence Consulted by the Author

The author made an effort to support their argument when writing this book. They collected evidence to support their claims and to demonstrate the level of concern that the American society had when it came to the issue of hygiene and elimination of bad smell. One of the evidence they provided is a sanitary map that was developed in 1854 by Edward Barton for the city of New Orleans (Adler 78). The author has also cited books and other major publications such as the New York Times and Picayune Office reports to support their findings. Drawings made by artists of this century have also helped in backing their claims such as that used on page 37 (Kiechle 37). The drawing demonstrates the danger of wastes, especially when it is allowed to pollute clean water. A sanitary survey map of New York City given on page 48 validates their claim about how serious urban authorities were when it came to enhancing hygiene.

Contribution to the Existing Literature

The book provides important knowledge about the growth of major urban centers in the United States and the challenges that they faced. As Conlin observes, urban centers faced numerous challenges such as crime, drug use, limited housing, and poor transport network among others during this era (38). However, this book gives a comprehensive analysis of one of these problems, the issue of poor hygiene. It explains the perception of people towards this problem, the approach is taken to address it, and the outcome of these efforts.

Critique

Themes provided in this book is very relevant to major modern cities around the world struggling with the problem of waste management. I believe the content of this book can help in providing a roadmap to these cities on how they can deal with this problem. The subject of the book, especially the emphasis on smell, successfully brings out their intention. It brings out the argument that whenever an undesirable smell is all over the environment, it is a sign of poor hygiene. I believe the book is persuasive. The diction, use of maps and images, and supporting the argument with literature all make the book very persuasive. The book is a success, especially given its relevance in modern society where major cities are chocking in bad smell caused by poor management of waste and the motor industry.

Conclusion

‘The Smell Detectives’ provides an elaborate discussion of the hygiene challenges that major American cities faced before the Civil War. The impressive economic development of these cities was hampered by the growing problem of poor waste management and unpleasant smell in these cities. The book discusses the consequences of poor hygiene and how urban society struggled to address this problem.

Works Cited

Adler, Jessica. Burdens of War: Creating the United States Veterans Health System. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2017.

Chudacoff, Howard, et al. The Evolution of American Urban Society. 8th ed., Taylor & Francis Group, 2016.

Conlin, Joseph. The American Past: A Survey of American History: Since 1865. 10th ed., Cengage Learning, 2014.

Kiechle, Melanie. Smell Detectives: An Olfactory History of Nineteenth-Century Urban America. University of London Press, 2017.

Levy, John. Contemporary Urban Planning. 11th ed., Taylor & Francis Group, 2017.

Patel, Raj. History of the World in Seven Cheap Things: A Guide to Capitalism, Nature, and the Future of the Planet. University of California Press, 2017.