It occurred to me to wonder about the history of soap. I found a site that said vases dating from 2800BC had been found in Mesopotamia, still containing traces of soap, and bearing cuneiform instructions for its preparation from grease and wood ashes.
http://www.sdahq.org/sdalatest/html/soaphistory1.htm
At BCH an elevator operator smelled so bad, people were walking up the stairs rather than get into elevator with him. Threats and pleas had been to no avail. But a shrewd house officer tricked him into believing he had a serious skin disorder, so that he willingly used an Rx for "Sapo Mollis".