Don't know if consumer law is different on your side of the pond, but over here, 'deodorants' just mask odours, only anti-perspirants prevent them. And while I don't remember them being around much before the mid-60s (I remember my mum and one of my aunts talking about the 'new' product), it could be argued that deodorants date back to them pomanders people used to carry around with them... You're right, though, it's unpleasant to think about a world without them...
In a world without them you wouldn't really notice since you would be so acclimatised to the smells anyway.
Bad one's. There's a difference between "unclean smell" and "clean smell" ...bad hygiene and unsanitary practices are what caused the Black Plague.
FLEAS! That's right. But how did lack of hygene cause the black plague? I know that good hygene helped you not to get it, but that's not the same thing.
Well, it's stretching a point to say it caused it, but the unsanitary conditions allowed it to take hold...
Ick. As much as we harp on about ancient times being simpler, it's nice to live in a world where at least 7 out of 10 people bathe regularly and brush their teeth.
I read something about Ancient Rome the other day that was interesting (and relates)...it went something like... The Romans built roads and bridges. They built aqueducts and large arenas. They build libraries and hospitals. They wrote philosophy, literature, and history. They had an advanced political system. But they didn't have soap.
