Obituary: George Preti

George Preti, 75, died on March 3 in Horsham, Pennsylvania.

“George was a pioneer in the study of human body odors. Over a 50-year period at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, he expanded his interest from odor communication involving axillary, oral, and vaginal odors into fields involving body odors as disease indicators. His expertise in volatile sampling techniques and GC/MS was critical to the success of these studies. His analytical results supported the diagnosis of trimethylaminuria, a rare metabolic disease characterized by oral and skin malodorants. George was researching the use of volatile profiles for early detection of ovarian cancer. He actively sought collaborators in the taste and smell community and supported young investigators in his laboratory.”—John Labows, friend and colleague

Most recent title: Member of the Monell Chemical Senses Center; adjunct professor, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Education: BS, chemistry, Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, 1966; PhD, analytical chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1971

Survivors: Wife, Kathleen; daughter, Stephanie Ruscin; son, Gregory; and three grandchildren

To recognize your late loved one or colleague, submit obituary information at cenm.ag/obits.