The Sniff Test

 In our house The Sniff Test usually refers to nappy checking (often performed after passing an infant to the person who hasn't changed one recently!) (In days gone by this even required, at least once, the passing of relevant infant over a dining table which was in use at the time! My Uncle Don, who was eating with us, remarked "That's the most disgusting gesture I've ever seen!").

The sniff test I did today was part of the PredictPD study, in which I have been a participant for several years now. In brief the purpose of the study is to find early indicators of Parkinsons Disease and much of the involvement so far has been to answer online questionnaires, undertake online tasks, and provide saliva samples. If I don't ultimately succumb to PD I guess this a waste of time, but I'm happy to support the advancement of the science of this disease and possibly facilitate earlier diagnosis.

Apparently 'loss of sense of smell' can be an early sign of PD. There were 40 smell samples to sniff and for each a choice of 4 suggestions. The whole thing took about an hour and I found some quite difficult; my sense of smell has never been great. (This could be a result of an undergrad year of Chemistry lab work!)

For info about the PredictPD study (and maybe volunteer...) here's the link - https://predictpd.com/predict_pd/about_the_study