Occurence in Normal Individuals of Diurnal Variations in Olfactory Acuity

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Abstract
Olfactory thresholds were detd. by a method descr. by Elsberg and Levy (Bull. Neurol. Inst. New York 4:5.1935). In principle it consists of injecting variable but measurable vols. of odorous air into both nasal passages of an individual during a period of momentary cessation of breathing, the force of the injn. taking the place of ordinary inspiratory movements. As the vol. injd. and its pressure are known, the test is a quantitative one. The min. amt. of odorous air required for instantaneous recognition of the odor by the subject 3 times in succession is taken as the threshold at that time. Results obtained in 1521 test days on 58 individuals are analyzed. Taking into account avgs. of olfactory threshold values obtained on 9 or more test days, there are to be expected a significant increase in olfactory acuity during the morning, a significant decrease in olfactory acuity shortly after lunch, and a significant increase in olfactory acuity during the late afternoon. The number of individuals studied justifies the expectation that similar results may be obtained from the population at large. The variations in olfactory acuity descr. appear to be intimately related to food intake since they fail to appear when noon meals are omitted.
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