In addition to Benjamin Franklin’s many contributions to United States society, one of his contributions stands out amongst the rest. In 1781, Franklin wrote an essay on the topic of farting. Entitled “To the Royal Academy of Farting” and “Fart Proudly”—depending on where you read it— the essay makes a case for the importance of creating a medicine to make farts smell better. Franklin said that the smell of farts is offensive, and that the Royal Academy should be putting more resources into creating a drug to reduce the stench. He even argued that this would be one of the biggest accomplishments in medical history and recommended that the medicine be something that could be mixed with sauces or other foods. Despite writing the essay to the Royal Academy, Franklin instead sent it to some of his friends, including a chemist and philosopher. While the essay was written in a tongue-in-cheek nature, Franklin called for not only the reduction in negative smell from farts but something that would make them smell as nice as perfume.
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