Smell might be one of the main senses but its had a rocky history – going in and out of fashion, and written off as one of the less refined or civilised of the senses. Seen as tied to class and somehow less evolved, we 21st century smellers are missing out by comparison to the smell buffets available to Ancient Romans. In this episode we talk about the meaning of nose shapes, the expense of washing your body and the euphemistic nature of the nose.
And we finish up by looking at some nose-related treatments, including cobwebs, butter and nettles!
Guest historian clip: Dr Noelle Gallagher is Senior Lecturer in Eighteenth-Century Literature and Culture at the University of Manchester.