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I, too, have such memories. We received a man about 35 years old who had been found unconscious beneath a bridge. They took him into the examination room. I was writing up the previous patient and could see the fainted man in the room straight away from where I was sitting. As I wrote the other patient's chart, the most foul odor I have ever smelled came wafting into my nostril. It was vile and noxious. The smell was emanating from his feet. They had taken off his boots and was putting him into a gown. I went toward the room to perform my examination, but was repelled by the malodorous aroma. I asked the nurse, "why did he stink so badly?" She simply said, "His feet". He had not removed the boots for about a month.

Now, so you will have a point of reference from my experience. I have had amniotic membranes rupture and soak me and my brand new Florsheim shoes. I have had 'pure pus', which I was evacuating from an abcess on a woman's back. As I evacuated it, the abcess was under such pressure that it coated my face with some actually touching my lips and tongue. I asked to to hold still as I gargled with 70% Isoporpyl alcohol. I have spent 2 hours digging out stool from a mans peritoneal cavity after a wife had shoved a garden hose up the mans butt with a small 'new potato' perched on the end of the hose. (They had seen this on a pornograhic video they were watching). He said it looked like it might have been fun. By the way, this guy never ran a fever over 99.5, and insurance covered the hospitalization.

Now, I say all of that to say this. Those moments pale to insignificance when compared to the odor of the feet of the man with cowboy boots.

The smell was emanating from his feet.

Yup,we knew it well..."toxic sock syndrome".I've seen people,when having their socks removed,lose some of their skin because the fabric had "interwoven" with the skin.I saw the same thing happen (only once,fortunately) with a woman when her bra was removed.

Memories...great memories.(end sarcasm)