Summary:
The Great Pheromone Myth is written by Richard Doty who is the director of the University of Pennsylvania's Smell and Taste Center in Philadelphia. Doty describes pheromones and specifically their function in mammals as to chemosensation. He describes the extensive amount of research that has been done on animals, including invertebrates and their pheromones but that little has been investigated with mammalian pheromones. His last chapters include how he is critical of human pheromones because there have been no definitive studies finding these pheromones. He finally argues that humans do not have pheromones because they do not have an organ that can detect pheromones.
Chapters of the Great Pheromone Myth:
The Great Pheromone Myth is divided into 8 different chapters. Chapter 1 is an introduction to the concepts that Doty describes later. Chapter 2 illustrates how there are many differing opinions from scientists as to the actual definition of pheromones. Some scientists believe that the pheromones are volatile and others thing that they are nonvolatile, some others believe that they come from specific glands. Chapters 3 and 4 discuss the complexity of certain mammalian behaviors that are mediated by chemicals and how the pheromone concept interferes with these behaviors. Chapters 5 and 6 discuss how several claims that have been identified releaser and primer pheromones have 3 problems. They are either not reproducible, are based on novelty plays, or have chemicals that do not act in normal endocrine processes. Chapter 7 discusses specifically about human pheromones and how there is limited research and the findings that have been found so far consist of questionable inferences and are based on poor research. Chapter 8 is the closure. The style of the Great Pheromone Myth is very educated. It describes deep concepts and Doty leads the reader through his rational for his critique of the pheromone concept. Most of the sentences need to be read several times to be able to fully understand what Doty is describing.
Definitions of Pheromones:
Doty discusses the history of the term "pheromone". He starts out when it is first used to describe insects in the 1930s, where hormones are excreted outside of the body to when the term pheromone is used in 1959. The definition did not change that pheromones are external hormones when taken in by another individual of the same species cause specific behavioral reactions or processes to occur. His descriptions are very vivid and obviously extremely well research. Doty really convinces you about what has previously been described as pheromones.
Then we individuals extended the concept of pheromone to mammals it became much less evident. Doty says that there is considerable variation on the different definitions of pheromones in regards to mammals but the only thing that ties it all together is the fact that pheromones are chemical compounds that alter endocrine states or cause behavioral responses. He says that people think that functions of pheromones are innate. Doty however puts the idea forward that mammalian behavior is not reflexive, chemical stimuli are aggregates of compounds where experience and learning appear to be involved in most of mammalian pheromones.
Mammalian Pheromones:
Doty discusses several examples of mammalian pheromones thoroughly this book, especially in chapters 3 and 4. There is an olfactory/phenomenal cue that tells baby rabbit to locate their mothers' nipples. It has been found that by removing the mammary pheromone (MP) the nipple search behavior stops, thus the two are linked. The response is genetically programmed to happen with the rabbit's first exposure to its' mothers' pheromones. Doty says that it is possible that the MP was learned by the infant before birth. He says that this response is learned in the uterine environment and this not due to a pheromone. This is simply one example of his discussion on mammalian pheromones.
Human Pheromones:
"The pheromone term seems to have mainly attracted perfume manufacturers and people looking for the fountain of youth, it's just not the way things are. It would be like saying a particular color is why we choose a mate. That's just not how relationships are formed." He explained that there is no difference between a pheromone and a chemical. The body shows is very good at learning and almost all changed behavior can point back to this. Humans are very good at learning the meaning of chemicals. Doty explained that a single chemical given off by one human cannot create a behavioral change in another person. There is also not a lot of accurate scientific research out there on the subject. It is all neuroscience. The brain decodes what meaning is. As humans we are conditioned and learn to behave a certain way because of our brains.
Summary:
The Great Pheromone Myth is not only about the pheromone myth but also about how the brain functions and how the brain learns things. Doty shows in this book how the brain can change how we receive and interpret the data around us. The main idea of this book is that mammalian behavioral and physiological phenomena do not fit the pheromone concept or the data does not completely back them up. The Great Pheromone Myth is not just a critique of the mammalian pheromones. Doty shows us how actually the olfactory system is way more complex than we have given it credit for and we have been focused on the idea of pheromones so long that we have not been able to completely understand this system in our body. Doty's main argument is that mammalian pheromones do not exist because really the olfactory system of our body is too complex.
Recommendations:
I would highly recommend this book. If you are a reader who enjoys learning about aspects of neuroscience and how your olfactory system works then it is definitely a good choice for you. Doty does do a good job of speaking to the common person with plenty of definitions of complex terms, but it is a very heavy book. However it opened my eyes to something I had always believed to be true.

Drawing on knowledge acquired over a lifetime, the author concludes that the narrow definition of `pheromone' as a chemical that controls behavior is a word that has no place in the lexicon of mammalian physiology. Scholarly and at times scathing, this is a historical treatise and modern day exegesis of research and researchers working on this always-fascinating topic

"The Great Pheromone Myth" is the perfect read for anyone interested in science and biology. Dr. Richard Doty, a world renowned expert in smell and taste, systematically argues that pheromones have long been misunderstood. For the layman, the book is well-written and will be an eye-opening experience for any curious individual. For the scientist, the book is a wonderful exercise in the scientific method, as the author methodically supports his arguments with decades of research and clinical experience.