What do coroner and garbage men use under their nose to block the horrible smell?

Question

I am disceting sheep brains in lab class and the smell is disguisting. I want something to block the smell. Where can I purchase it?

Answer 1

Menthol salve. My guess is that you could find it at a drug store, or something that would work similarly. Vicks Vapor Rub would work, I bet.

Try it, and then report back. I'm interested to know.

Answer 2

I don't know about garbage men or coroners specifically, but my father in law is a funeral director (the modern prefered term for a mortician/undertaker). He says you just kinda get used to it, but that a lot of the younger guys use Vick's Vap-o-Rub. Rub a good bit of it on your top lip and you can't smell much anything else.

Answer 3

A book by a crime scene investigator claimed that if you could put up with a foul smell for about three minutes it would lose its impact and you wouldn't notice anymore.
Sounds like a long three minutes to me.

Answer 4

I think they wear a mask.