A PODCAST FROM IMMORTAL PERFUMES
The Scent
Archive
Curious histories, bottled
EP 02 - APRIL 29, 2026
THE DOCTOR AND THE ATOMIZER
How a Civil War veteran in Toledo accidentally invented the perfume atomizer
Dr. Allen DeVilbiss was sick of shoving goose grease down his patients' throats to treat infections. So he built the first atomizer in his Toledo shed from an oil can and a rubber ball. His son Thomas turned this medical device into Art Deco masterpieces that would change how America wore perfume.
YOUR HOST
JT Siems
PERFUME HISTORIAN · EDUCATOR · WRITER
JT Siems is the founder of Immortal Perfumes, a Seattle-based literary micro-perfumery. Obsessed with history, she is a perfume historian, educator, writer, and international award-winning perfumer.
STORICAL FOOTNOTES: JOAN OF ARC FROM HERETIC TO SAINT
Bishops from the Catholic church were in charge of Joan of Arc’s trial and ended up condemning her to die. So if it was the church that burned her, why the change of heart and change of status to a saint? Today we’re looking at what happened during the 500 years after her death that led to her becoming the patron saint of France.
STORICAL FOOTNOTES: THE SAINTS WHO SPOKE TO JOAN OF ARC
We all know that Joan of Arc believed she heard the voices of saints sent by God on her mission to save France. But who were these saints and what were there stories? Today, we’re taking a look at the origin stories of St. Michael, St. Margaret, and St. Catherine and where they fit in to the politics of the time.
STORICAL FOOTNOTES: THE KING WHO WAS MADE OF GLASS
Charles VI believed he was made entirely of glass and that any small movement would cause him to shatter. Listen in for an exploration of the glass delusion (afflicted lots of nobles!) and how this French king’s fear that his body was glass set Joan of Arc’s mission in motion.
JOAN OF ARC: SOLDIER AND SAINT
Joan of Arc is the patron saint of France, and unlike many of the saints…she actually existed! Listen to the episode to learn how an illiterate peasant girl was able to drive out the English and put the French back on the path to reclaim their country during the Hundred Years War. Did she really speak to angels? Was she a bloodthirsty soldier? We know more about her than most Medieval women but there are no easy answers in her story.