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Perfume as medicine
If we examine the medicine and perfume formulations of classical antiquity, we often discover that the only difference between these two was in their consistency. In some rare instances, there was no difference at all. Therefore, perfume was medicine, and medicine was perfume.
I have often wondered if physicians then tried to differentiate between these two, and if so, how? It was perhaps the intention behind their use that gave them their identity and function. A recent study using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has revealed that our attitude towards drugs and medical treatments influence their efficacy and outcome. Scepticism, for example, may prevent a drug from achieving its effects, and enthusiasm or confidence may increase it. Perhaps these recent findings can explain the overlapping between perfumery and medical arts in classical antiquity. It seems the purpose and function of various raw materials were assigned to them based on who needed them and what for. It was the individual’s belief that shaped the outcomes, effects and expectations.
Some argue that perfume not only contributed to the formation of modern medicine but was also one of the foundation blocks. As a perfumer, I find this thought very attractive. However, I am not sure I can fully agree with it. In my opinion, the arts of perfumery and medicine existed, flourished and advanced alongside each…
