Abstract

MONTANO DIAZ, Marco Antonio; SANCHEZ FUENTES, Aldo Luís  and  PORTAL MIRANDA, José Ángel. Olfaction: another important component of physical examination. Rev Ciencias Médicas [online]. 2006, vol.10, n.3, pp. 21-30. ISSN 1561-3194.

A study where available medical literature is revised and personal experience of the authors about the usefulness of olfaction is taken in order to carry out a proper clinical diagnosis, as well as the technical possibilities in present days to detect and measure several substances that emanate from the human body. The objectives proposed are: the promotion of the idea to include an organized and systematic teaching of olfaction as an important component of physical examination in patients, and to encourage the technologists to produce and develop instruments with this purpose. Medical literature and daily practice show the abundant and useful information that a proper olfaction offers. Criteria about olfaction that some classics of Medicine explained and young specialists of current times set out are taken into account, concluding that olfaction must be included together with inspection, palpation, percussion and auscultation as another element of physical examination, that it should be taught systematically in our medical schools, and to analyze the advantage to create a technology which allows to detect volatile substances in breath and other human emanations. It is not about the utilization of odors with therapeutic purposes or any other type which is not diagnostic.

Keywords : OLFACTION; PHYSICAL EXAMINATION; MEDICAL TEACHING; HEALTH TECHNOLOGY.

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