What can I compare the smell of a dead human body to?

Question

I'm writing a monologue about finding a dead body and I want to be able to have the audience be able to mentally smell how bad it was. I've never smelled one, so I have no idea.

"It smelled like..."

Answer 1

Here's something simple you can try that's cheap and easy to do.Take a bag of soy beans, saturate them in water,let them stand a few days in heat above 70F while keeping them moist,crush some of the mixture.In a few days you will smell what decaying flesh/protein smells like.

Answer 2

compare smell dead human body

Answer 3

Dead bodies real stink in a way I've never been able to describe. First you have the poop and pee that leaves their bowels because the sphincter muscles relax upon death. Then the flesh has a sickly sweet and musty odor. That's if it wasn't burned or shot, which would add a smell like burnt rotted pork.

Answer 4

Today I found a resident of the apartments I manage dead in his bed. He was only 56. The ME investigator said he had been dead four or five days and he was pretty ripe. He was decomposing and turned black. The smell was from not just his bowels releasing, but its a sweeter smell of decomposition because of the spices from food we all eat. The cop said he was going in to shower and has to take in his uniform to be cleaned at least three times. The ME said it permeates clothes and stays there. Hope that answers it.

Answer 5

It's hard to say, but it's something that you will never forget. I never have. It's not like one thing, think of a room that has got very damp, but not, it's something like that only a warmer smell. like something that has been over cooked, but this is a dry smell, that is everywhere, depending how long and what condition the body is in.
Hope this helps a little

Answer 6

There is no smell on earth to describe it. It is very unique the only way to experince it is to go see a dead rotting corpse that has not processed yet.

Answer 7

To me it's just like any deer or any other animal. Their all flesh and bone they smell the same.If your not strong in the belly it will turn it definitely and you'll never forget it, and if your close enough you can taste it.It's not what anyone really wants to experience

Answer 8

It basically smells like rotting flesh. I don't know what it smells like because I haven't smelt one before, but I'm sure the smell is absolutely vile. I bet it'll make you vomit.

Answer 9

Nothing that I've ever smelled. LOL no idea how a dead body smells like!

Answer 10

geez sorry i've only ever smelled fresh ones (relatives) or embalmed ones (in anatomy dissection pracs) but I guess the anatomy lab always smelled a bit musty - cold musty because of the air conditioning - a tangy smell