Hendrik Zwaardemaker

Hendrik Zwaardemaker ((1857-05-10)10 May 1857 in Haarlem – (1930-09-19)19 September 1930 in Utrecht)[1] was a Dutch scientist who invented the olfactometer in 1888.[2]

Hendrik Zwaardemaker
Born(1857-05-10)10 May 1857
Haarlem
Died19 September 1930(1930-09-19) (aged 73)
Utrecht
NationalityDutch
Scientific career
FieldsPhysiology
InstitutionsUniversity of Utrecht
An illustration of Zwaardemaker's olfactometer.

From 1897 to 1927 he was professor of Experimental Physiology at the University of Utrecht. In 1903 he became member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.[3] In addition to his work on the sense of smell, he also conducted research on the human heart. He found that salts of potassium and other radioactive elements stimulated the heart.[4] His major work was "Die Physiologie des Geruchs" (Physiologie of Olfaction), it appeared in 1895.

Zwaardemaker Pairs

An important contribution of Zwaardemaker's studies is the concept of odor conjugates. Zwaardemaker discovered that certain odors could be prevented from detection by smell senses when mixed with various essential oils. These combination of odors are referred to as Zwaardemaker Pairs, (or Z-pairs).

Offensive OdorCommon Odor SourcesZ-Pair Essential OilActive Ingredient
Butyric acidVomit, Flesh Decomposition, Rancid Dairy ProductsJuniper Oil
ChlorineVanillaVanillin
AmmoniaUrineRose OilIonone
TobaccoCigarette SmokeWintergreen OilMethyl salicylate
MuskBitter Almond oilBenzaldehyde
RubberCedar Oil
SkatoleFeces, Coal tarCedar Oil
MercaptanNatural GasEucalyptus OilEucalyptol

References
  1. A. K. M. Noyons. Hendrik Zwaardemaker: 1857-1930. The American Journal of Psychology, Vol. 43, No. 3 (Jul., 1931), pp. 525-526
  2. Eibenstein, A.; et al. (July 2005). "Modern psychophysical tests to assess olfactory function". Neurological Sciences. 26 (3): 147–155. doi:10.1007/s10072-005-0452-3. ISSN 1590-1874. PMID 16086127.
  3. "Hendrik Zwaardemaker (1857 - 1930)". Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  4. "Heart Radioactivity". Time. December 9, 1929. Retrieved 2007-01-15.


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