It is difficult to put words to the smell of decomposing human. It is dense and cloying, sweet but not flower-sweet. Halfway between rotting fruit and rotting meat.
The passage from Mary Roach's "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers" describes the unique and unsettling scent associated with decomposing human bodies. The author emphasizes that this odor is complex and challenging to articulate, blending elements of sweetness with a repellent quality, making it unlike any other familiar smell.
Roach's comparison to rotting fruit and meat illustrates the dual nature of the scent, capturing both the organic decay and the stark reality of human decomposition. This description highlights the often overlooked aspects of cadavers and the curiosity surrounding them in scientific and societal contexts.