On my last week of rotation at the Department of Surgery in the ER during internship, I had this rare encounter... I stumbled on this 'lotion' inside a crowded drawer full of surgical needles and sutures. Imagine a 'cosmetic product' among surgical tools? I just wondered why it was there and who put it?🤔 Especially that it wasn't just any lotion, it was a Victoria's Secret brand and even the name in big bold letters was eye catching, 'Endless Love'... Wow! I opened it and sniffed the content, umm... That was the first reaction when you see a 'cosmetic' right? It smelled so 'heavenly!' So I looked it up to see what scent it was and I was surprised to see 'Ylang-ylang' written on it. Incredible, Victoria's Secret used Ylang-ylang on their cosmetics!😲 You see, this is a native flower to the Philippines which has a distinctive sweet fragrance. It's actually made into a perfume and very popular locally that it is called the "Queen of Perfumes." No wonder, Victoria's Secret had sought after it... Of course, I didn't apply it to my skin without first asking who owned it, that would be impolite. So I asked who owned it, and it turned out to be one of the ROD 'Resident On Duty' surgeons. She was a female, so it was no surprise that she had a lotion, but why even when she was on duty...? Well, I just thought that since our hands were frequently dry as a result of constant washing, she may have thought lotions would soften them... And why hadn't she just used a moisturizer? We all know that most moisturizers had no scent and since most of the time we were "amoy hospital" (smelled of hospital) literally...😷 So perhaps, our ROD thought her fragrant lotion would be a better option... And we were thankful because she let her interns used it as well. Our group then smelled amazing! The scent of Ylang-ylang had drifted and wafted through the air, that the other doctors and patients would even turned their noses up when they passed our table. Yeah, this had been an unforgettable experience for me. The fragrant scent left an imprint on my mind...It was redolent with my internship in Surgery... You see, the receptor cells at the lining epithelium of the nasal cavity are true neurons and are the only neurons in the body that replace themselves.👃This is a 'must know' board question... This could explain why our sense of smell is so strong and frequently associated with our emotions and memories.🧠 What do you think Noisemates? Do you have a memorable experience too that associated with a certain smell? Did you know that yesterday, March 21st, was the "National Fragrance Day?" It was founded in 2018 by perfumers to celebrate the scents that play important roles in our lives. If you want to read more about it, here is the link https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/international-fragrance-day/ I hope I'm not too late to wish everyone a 'Happy National Fragrance Day!'🌷 Wishing you all a delightfully fragrant day! #Doctordiaries @Mitochondria🩺 💯Original content creator Caloocan City, Philippines🇵🇭