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Bromhidrosis or body odour is the smell of bacteria growing on the body. These bacteria multiply considerably in the presence of sweat, but sweat itself is almost totally odorless. Body odor is associated with the hair, feet, crotch (upper medial thigh), anus, skin in general, breasts, armpits, genitals and pubic hair.
Body odor is specific to the individual, and can be used to identify people, though this is more often done by dogs than by humans. An individual's bodily odor is also influenced by diet, gender, genetics, health, medication, occupation, and mood. 17th century Japanese encountering Europeans for the first time found their odor particularly strong, and likened it to the smell of butter, assigned the name bata-kusai (roughly meaning "stinks of butter") to visiting Europeans at the time. *
Social history
In the period 1910-1920, the American advertising industry initiated the now-familiar strategy of advertisements intended to foster anxiety about social status, and concern about personal deficiencies that could be remedied by buying the advertised product. In 1919, Odo-Ro-No became the first company to use the term "B.O." in an advertisement.
Many people find the odor of Corynebacterium tenuis and C. xerosis in the apocrine sweat of the underarms offensive, so they use antiperspirants or deodorants. Antiperspirants stop the sweat, while deodorants kill or inhibit the bacteria. Some individuals find underarm perspiration uncomfortable (or visually offensive if it becomes noticeable on clothing), and use antiperspirants to counter this. Others refrain from using antiperspirants, sometimes due to a viewing perspiration as a natural bodily function that should not be hindered, and sometimes due to naturally low levels of perspiration that can be comfortably managed without antiperspirants. Individuals who choose not to use antiperspirants may or may not choose to use non-antiperspirant deodorants, according to personal preference.
During the Middle Ages, bathing was discouraged by the Catholic Church as it was a "pagan" custom and often involved communal bathing and public nudity. Being clean was associated with catching diseases as body filth was thought to provide a protective layer against "vapors". Most Europeans at that time bathed only once or twice yearly. When European traders and explorers came into contact with Asian cultures which placed an emphasis on daily bathing, the Europeans were considered to be barbaric due to their stench.
Genetics
Body odor is influenced by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules. These are genetically determined and play an important role in immunity of the organism. The vomeronasal organ contains cells sensitive to MHC molecules in a genotype-specific way. Experiments on animals and volunteers shown the potential sexual partners tend to be perceived more attractive if their MHC composition is substantially different. This behavior pattern promotes variability of the immune system of individuals in the population, thus making the population more robust against new diseases.
See also
External links
- The Scientist - Immunity, smell linked, November 2004
- Forum Odeur Corporelle - French forum, about bad body odors, caused by trimethylaminuria for example
"Body odor"