# What does the inside of a human body smell like to a surgeon? What does cancer smell like? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 3, 2009, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-inside-of-a-human-body-smell-like-to-a-surgeon-what-does-cancer-smell-like/512437 "2009-10-03T04:32:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-inside-of-a-human-body-smell-like-to-a-surgeon-what-does-cancer-smell-like/512437/1 "2009-10-03T04:32:43Z")
When a surgeon opens someone up what does it smell like as they are working on the body? Do cancer and other diseases have particular smells? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-inside-of-a-human-body-smell-like-to-a-surgeon-what-does-cancer-smell-like/512437/2 "2009-10-03T10:45:44Z")
Umm…surgeons wear _masks_. To prevent infection. So, I’d guess they don’t smell much, at all. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-inside-of-a-human-body-smell-like-to-a-surgeon-what-does-cancer-smell-like/512437/3 "2009-10-03T11:16:04Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Umm…surgeons wear _masks_. Do you think they breathe via teleportation of air directly into their lungs? Surgical masks absorb liquid and gunk _from the surgeon’s face_ to protect the patient. They don’t block gases or other smellocules emanating from the patient. OR personnel are able to detect odors easily, which is important, because an unexpected odor during a surgery can be indicative of a serious problem. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-inside-of-a-human-body-smell-like-to-a-surgeon-what-does-cancer-smell-like/512437/4 "2009-10-03T12:35:42Z")
mrAru spent a week with an exploded appendix, he said when his doc cut him open, more than one person in the room hurled. Peritonitis apparently smells pretty much like a rotting corpse. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-inside-of-a-human-body-smell-like-to-a-surgeon-what-does-cancer-smell-like/512437/5 "2009-10-03T13:09:34Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > mrAru spent a week with an exploded appendix, he said when his doc cut him open, more than one person in the room hurled. Peritonitis apparently smells pretty much like a rotting corpse. I had a drainage tube sticking out of my abdomen for over a year, following a botched appendectomy and peritonitis. Yes, “like a rotting corpse” is an accurate description. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-inside-of-a-human-body-smell-like-to-a-surgeon-what-does-cancer-smell-like/512437/6 "2009-10-03T13:23:13Z")
Okay, so serious infection reeks – what about cutting into an uninfected body? Like for a hysterectomy or something, where something needs to be removed for reasons other than infection. ---
**Author:** ![brossa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brossa/32/3040_2.png) [@brossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brossa)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-inside-of-a-human-body-smell-like-to-a-surgeon-what-does-cancer-smell-like/512437/7 "2009-10-03T14:43:44Z")
A surgeon can definitely smell the patient in the OR. There are a large number of things going on during surgery that generate distinctive smells. Anesthetic gases typically have a distinctive odor, which is important in detecting whether there is a leak in the system. The opened abdomen or chest cavity has a mild, inoffensive, damp meat/blood smell, like you may get off of a room-temperature raw steak. The Bovie electrocautery device used to cut and coagulate tissue makes wet smoke that smells differently depending on the tissue being cooked; I’ve always thought that Bovie smoke from the liver and/or spleen smells worse than from other organs, but that’s a personal opinion. The argon beam coagulator produces an ozone-type smell in addition to the smell of cooked tissue. The harmonic scalpel doesn’t scorch, but it does produce a hazy mist that is kind of like smoke. Pus and dead tissue can have particularly foul odors; naturally stool and vomit will as well. Partially digested blood in the GI tract has a very distinctive bad odor once it is exposed to the outside air. Bile has a chemically smell to it. Most ORs have a vial of Oil of Wintergreen or other odorant that the staff can dab inside their masks to partially cover the odor in bad cases. Burns, dead bowel, peritonitis, necrotizing fasciitis, abscesses, etc. can smell so bad that you may want to hurl, and the smell can stick with you for a long time. A tumor of whatever kind doesn’t really have a unique smell under most circumstances. Electrocautery on a hepatic primary may smell different that electrocautery on a lipoma, but not in a way that I’d call diagnostic. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-inside-of-a-human-body-smell-like-to-a-surgeon-what-does-cancer-smell-like/512437/8 "2009-10-03T14:49:17Z")
Well, many of the abdominal organs and cavities have odors you wouldn’t write home about, but there are some pleasant surprises you may encounter whilst exploring the musculoskeletal system, if you use your imagination. The fragrance of smoking marrow when your scrub nurse doesn’t dropper enough saline onto your oscillating blade during bone cuts combined with the sweet pungency of burning adipose from electrocauterizing through subcutaneous tissue is not unlike that of a sizzling New York Strip from Ruths Chris. In the mood for a refreshing chicken and grape salad? Simply close your eyes and inhale as you aspirate a large abscess growing Pseudomonas aeruginosa… …excuse me, I think it’s time for lunch… ---
**Author:** ![brossa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brossa/32/3040_2.png) [@brossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brossa)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-inside-of-a-human-body-smell-like-to-a-surgeon-what-does-cancer-smell-like/512437/9 "2009-10-03T15:04:20Z")
Yeah, cut bone stinks. Like burning hair, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-inside-of-a-human-body-smell-like-to-a-surgeon-what-does-cancer-smell-like/512437/10 "2009-10-03T17:29:20Z")
This is one of the greatest threads ever! Thanks **Brossa** and **Tibbytoes**! ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-inside-of-a-human-body-smell-like-to-a-surgeon-what-does-cancer-smell-like/512437/11 "2009-10-03T17:32:38Z")
Sometimes it’s possible to learn too much at this place. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-inside-of-a-human-body-smell-like-to-a-surgeon-what-does-cancer-smell-like/512437/12 "2009-10-03T17:44:41Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Sometimes it’s possible to learn too much at this place. This thread is nowhere near too informative. It’s wonderfully informative. Especially the parts that compare sizzling human fat and marrow to a good steak frying up. Makes me hungry just thinking about it. Reminds me of a short story I read once: [_They’re Made out of Meat_ by Terry Bisson. It’s available for free at the authors website, along with some of his other short fiction.](http://www.terrybisson.com/page6/page6.html) ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-inside-of-a-human-body-smell-like-to-a-surgeon-what-does-cancer-smell-like/512437/13 "2009-10-03T19:37:40Z")
I love this site. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-inside-of-a-human-body-smell-like-to-a-surgeon-what-does-cancer-smell-like/512437/14 "2009-10-03T19:57:04Z")
Pseudomonas never smelled like a chicken salad to me. Chicken shit, maybe. But not salad. Otherwise, **brossa** nailed it pretty well. Two smells I can’t stand: Gas gangrene and retained tampons. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-inside-of-a-human-body-smell-like-to-a-surgeon-what-does-cancer-smell-like/512437/15 "2009-10-03T20:28:28Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Pseudomonas never smelled like a chicken salad to me. To clarify: more [“grape”](http://jcm.asm.org/cgi/content/abstract/9/4/479) than “chicken” smell of the chicken & grape salad to which I referred. But, still better than [this](http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/516370) strain—rotten potatoes, blech… …and, it takes years to refine your palate to enjoy the aroma of gas gangrene. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![NajaNivea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-inside-of-a-human-body-smell-like-to-a-surgeon-what-does-cancer-smell-like/512437/16 "2009-10-03T22:40:29Z")
If veterinary surgeries are any point of reference, one of my most _hurk_ inducing odors is the smell of a bone saw or orthopedic drill in action. I can keep it down, but the smell sticks with me for days. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-inside-of-a-human-body-smell-like-to-a-surgeon-what-does-cancer-smell-like/512437/17 "2009-10-03T22:42:09Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > retained tampons. Honest question: how does this happen? Lost? Stuck? Forgotten about? Worse? ---
**Author:** ![NajaNivea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-inside-of-a-human-body-smell-like-to-a-surgeon-what-does-cancer-smell-like/512437/18 "2009-10-03T22:58:04Z")
All of the above. Often add in several days or a good, healthy week of unprotected sex on top of it all. +1 to the good doc on that call. There is nothing… absolutely _nothing_ on this earth so stomach-turning as that sort of festering pestilence emerging from a patient’s vagina at the end of a pair of forceps. Rotting blood, tissue, cotton, semen, vaginal discharge… ---
**Author:** ![susan\_foster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@susan\_foster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan_foster)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-inside-of-a-human-body-smell-like-to-a-surgeon-what-does-cancer-smell-like/512437/19 "2009-10-04T00:05:20Z")
> [@Struan](#): > > Honest question: how does this happen? Lost? Stuck? Forgotten about? Worse? I’ve thought about this, actually. I’ve wondered what happened if I was in a serious accident when I was having my period. I’m assuming this? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-inside-of-a-human-body-smell-like-to-a-surgeon-what-does-cancer-smell-like/512437/20 "2009-10-04T02:03:34Z")
> [@Struan](#): > > Honest question: how does this happen? Lost? Stuck? Forgotten about? Worse? All of those have been given as reasons, yes. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-inside-of-a-human-body-smell-like-to-a-surgeon-what-does-cancer-smell-like/512437.md?page=2)