It sounds a little like the phenomena of the phantom limb, that often hangs around when people lose their real one; but I hadn't heard of phantom smells before:
It occurs in people who lose the sense of smell. People with phantosmia
imagine smells which can be odd, unnatural, unpleasant or even euphoric.
It is a rare condition which can occur in relation to brain injuries,
strokes, seizures, schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease and other
neurological disorders.
From a recent episode of the Science Show. You can read more in the transcript that is at
the link on this page.
PM had something along these lines a while ago.
ReplyDeleteA study found losing your sense of smell actually increased your chances of death.
That stinks!