Musk Oil: The Scent of Sex?

I found an old bottle of musk oil recently and concluded that it literally stinks. But remember when so many people were wearing musk-scented products, supposedly because they somehow mimicked the subtle smells that a person gives off when they're feeling their mojo working?

There were musk shaving creams, colognes, after-shave lotions, etc.I've even seen musk oil incense - made by the Hare Krishnas! But the stuff I remember most was a concentrated oil that came in a small bottle. A woman I was seeing gave me a small supply, saying that she really liked the scent, so I wore it when we went out. What did musk smell like? Hmmmm, musky? Musty? It's hard to describe. But judging from what I smelled in crowded subway cars, a lot of folks were wearing it. After the donor of the bottle and I broke up I decided that I didn't care for the smell of the stuff myself, and threw the rest out.

The rumors about musk were typical of the Seventies view of sexuality, which reminded me of a classroom full of kids who had been ruled over by a tyrannical teacher - after she leaves the classroom. Pandemonium breaks loose. Along with Vitamin E, ginseng, and of course whitening toothpaste, it was supposed to make you sexier. And of course it didn't. In fact, I read on a chemistry bulletin board recently that some believe the scent, besides supposedly triggering romantic feelings, is the same that the body secretes when you're itching for a fight.