The smell of blood . . .

[emanresu]

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Have you come across any patients whose blood smells like copper? I knew someone like this and was just curious if it might be common and/or why it is so.

Thanks

 

[ckent]

It probably smelled like iron (blood is rich in iron, if you drink water from public water fountains, it will often taste like "blood" because it has so much iron in it). I don't know how you would distinguish between the smell of iron and copper. Unless you are talking about a patient with Wilson's disease I suppose. I've never met a patient with that disease.

 

[emanresu]

Aahh. Thanks.

My family owns a metal recycling business. One of my jobs was to 'cut' (with a torch) many different types of metal. I just thought it smelled a lot like copper - they way it did when burned.

BTW, What's Wilson's dz? I can look it up, if you're too busy.

 

[ckent]

Here's a link:
http://www.merck.com/mrkshared/mmanual/section1/chapter4/4j.jsp

 

[DoctorDoom]

Most blood smells like copper. It's the oxygenation. In large pools and as it warms the odors are very similar. Once the proteins in blood begin to degrade the metallic/ biological smell is distinctive as well.