Flutterby™! : The myth of smell

Poor Human Olfaction is a Nineteenth Century Myth

Strangely, the idea that humans have tiny olfactory bulbs and a poor sense of smell is derived in part from the religious politics of nineteenth century France. The Catholic Church in France actively fought secularization, including the denunciation of the Paris Faculty of Medicine for teaching “atheism and materialism.” One of the physicians publicly singled out by bishops in the French Senate (5) was prominent neuroanatomist and anthropologist Paul Broca. This conflict manifested even in the day-to-day administration of Broca’s academic institution and jeopardized the operation of his laboratory. Because of this socio-historical milieu, Broca sometimes interpreted his anatomical data to provide empirical support of his reductionist views.

The chain of misinformation is chased through Sigmund Freud (go figure) who continued the myth that smell and cognition were inversely linked. But there's other fascinating bits in here.

doi:10.1126/science.aam7263