Strange Tale of Woman Who Could Detect Parkinson’s Disease by Smelling

In 2015, Joy Milne made a remarkable claim: she could detect Parkinson’s disease by smell. It all began when she noticed a distinct odor after her husband’s diagnosis.

Attending a Parkinson’s support group, Joy noticed the same scent on others, sparking her belief in a connection.

Determined to explore further, she contacted Professor Perdita Barran at the University of Manchester.

Professor Barran conducted a test, providing Joy with 12 T-shirts to smell; 6 worn by Parkinson’s patients and 6 by healthy individuals.

Remarkably, Joy accurately identified all 6 shirts worn by those with Parkinson’s, and one from the control group.

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Months later, the individual linked to the control shirt was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, validating Joy’s extraordinary ability.