I wrote a longer review of "The Emperor of Scent."
The Good: Turin definitely has an interesting, original theory of olfaction. As I said in my earlier review, I think there's some chance that he may be right, even though many other olfactory experts dismiss the theory. I'm ready to believe that he could be a creative genius. Turin has a curious writing style that is worth noticing. At his best, he discusses scientific issues in a manner that will make intuitive sense to laypeople. He weaves in some intriguing nouns, metaphors, images, and colorful descriptions. He provides (mostly) generous descriptions of the theorists who proceeded him. Sometimes, he creates a surreal descriptive world in which perfumes seem to become dramatic sculptures, or plays. At first, I found myself dismissive of his grand and perverse expressiveness. But as I sampled colognes and other scents, I had to admit that there was a method to the author's descriptive madness.
The Good, Part 2: My sense of Turin and his work was enhanced by material available on the web. NPR has a series of radio reports on Turin, including some featuring Turin, and some featuring Chandler Burr. There's an interview with Chandler Burr on "To the Best of our Knowledge" (available via the Wisconsin Public Radio website). Turin's Flexitral website (science section) is worth a look. Some new work on electron flow in the presence of odor, by Brookes et al (University College, London), is consistent with the theory.
The Bad: Turin hasn't done the sorts of experiments that will persuade the scientific community that his theory is correct. In fact, there's a strongly worded essay in the journal Nature that suggests that the theory is as wrong as it is popular with the uneducated masses. I believe that Turin's theory remains viable... but I'm not an expert on olfaction per se.
The Ugly: Turin seems to have antagonized a fair number of sensory scientists. If you read this book, or "The Emperor of Scent," you'll see why. Turin sometimes descends into a gossipy and highly critical style. He rips into scientists the way that the tabloids rip into celebrities. He seems to antagonize and villify the people who might be most interested in testing his model. For instance, I'm a sensory scientist, experimental psychologist, and a psychophysicst (among other things). Turin doesn't have kind words for people in my line of work, suggesting that we are flat, uninteresting, and too interested in quantitative measurement (I can't remember the exact words. It wasn't pretty).
The Ugly, Part 2: Turin points out the ugly side of science, including the various cliques and petty squabbles that rule the day. He points out conflicts of interest and close-minded groupthink. If you aren't familiar with the scientific world, or if you've never had a creative idea, you might conclude that Turin is simply bitter and self-absorbed. But Turin is often on target, I must say. I don't know much about the world of olfactory scientists, but I've watched the group dynamics among scientists for years. A creative, temperamental person like Turin will have difficulty being accepted and appreciated by the scientific mainstream, even if his ideas find their way into mainstream theories. You might come away with the idea that Turin is the good guy and that the scientific establishment is inhabited by the bad guys. LOL. It isn't that simple!
The Ugly, Part 3: I enjoyed the book and would even recommend it. It was fun to read. But I'm amazed at the public's uncritical reaction to books like this one. Beware of the reviewers or media types who say that books like this one should be "required reading." Most reviewers enjoy Turin's drama but are not in a position to evaluate the scientific merits of Turin's work.
