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Article: NEWS: Health scents.
- Article from:
- The Engineer
- Article date:
- August 18, 2008
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Centaur Communications Limited. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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A machine that detects gas molecules in breath can help diagnose medical conditions
PHYSICIANS HAVE known for millennia that the smell of human breath can reveal certain medical conditions. Until now it has been a subjective assessment based on the nasal sensitivity and experience of the doctor. But that may change with the development of a device that can detect a tell-tale odour from a patient and diagnose their condition.
The prototype detector works by identifying the presence of molecules of gases that are responsible for the distinguishing odour. For example, acetone smells like rotten fruit and can be a result of one form of diabetes. A ...