Musk odors, however, often of considerable strength, are very
widely distributed in Nature, alike among animals and plants. This is
indicated by the frequency with which the word "musk" forms part of the
names of animals and plants which are by no means always nearly related.
We have the musk-ox, the musky mole, several species called musk-rat, the
musk-duct, the musk-beetle; while among plants which have received their
names from a real or supposed musky odor are, besides several that are
called musk-plant, the musk-rose, the musk-hyacinth, the musk-mallow, the
musk-orchid, the musk-melon, the musk-cherry, the musk-pear, the
musk-plum, muskat and muscatels, musk-seed, musk-tree, musk-wood, etc.[60]
But a musky odor is not merely widespread in Nature among plants and the
lower animals, it is peculiarly associated with man. Incidentally we have
already seen how it is regarded as characteristic of some races of man,
especially the Chinese. Moreover, the smell of the negress is said to be
musky in character, and among Europeans a musky odor is said to be
characteristic of blondes. Laycock, in his _Nervous Diseases of Women_,
stated his opinion that "the musk odor is certainly the sexual odor of
man"; and Fere states that the musk odor is that among natural perfumes
most nearly approaching the odor of the sexual secretions.
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