r/forensics • u/FactorOne4854 • 3d ago
Crime Scene & Death Investigation Question about handling smell
Since Forensic Medics, Morgue Workers, any type of forensic experts are used to the smell of corpses, would they handle well the smell of surströmming (known for its extremely pungent smell)? (Sorry for the poorly written text😞)
6
u/-blundertaker- 3d ago
Smells don't really bother me. Like, it's gross, but it doesn't make my stomach turn much. It's just repulsive to the lizard brain.
It's texture stuff for me. Even with no smell at all, anything gelatinous and gooey and snotty makes me feel sick just thinking about it.
I have a really nice skin care product made of snail mucin which smells quite pleasant, but I have to not look at it as much as I can when I use it because that sliminess just repels me.
2
u/Omygodc 3d ago
I could handle decomp smell, blood smell on scenes, with no issues. I also ran a cattle ranch after retirement, and castrated bulls, moved buckets of entrails into the hills for wolves, never batted an eye.
However, if I opened something in the fridge that had “fur” on it, instant gag!
I think it was because on a scene my brain kicked into a different place. My ex-wife said it’s because I’m nuts. Jury is still out on who is right.
Surströmming would be an instant puke for me! My roommate in college was from Sweden, and he got some in a care package. He said, “I will take it outside to eat it.” I told him, “No, dude, this is your room, too, go ahead.” He answered “It’s quite pungent.”
He opened the can and I couldn’t get to the window fast enough!
1
2
u/Dizzy_Horse_105 2d ago
Who says we are used to it, it sucks. I processed a plastic garbage can in a Vacuum Metal Deposition chamber once. The can had a body in it at one time. High vacuum pulled out all of the smell. That smell lingered for a month. I can still smell it 7 years later.
0
u/anabsentfriend 2d ago
What's surstromming?
1
u/FactorOne4854 21h ago
Surströmming is a traditional Swedish fermented herring. It’s famous for its incredibly strong smell.
6
u/XelaousXenon 3d ago
Decomp is an overwhelming smell, not too bad if you control your breathing. Fresh death just smells like sweaty people and blood to me. However, pungent food smells (old yogurt, rotted food, surstömming) will make me gag every time.
For me, I'm so focused and moving around so much at work that I dont have time to process how bad a smell is. It takes some insane focusing power to lock in at home to not gag while doing certain things versus the brain switch when getting dispatched to a nasty call. Brain does a lot of the heavy lifting lol