A Nose for Asparagus (1 Letter) Re "A Medical Tell-All Can Be Found in Urine" (Personal Health, Jan. 3): The odor in urine sometimes resulting from eating asparagus can be smelled by only a portion of the population, and studies have suggested that this ability is genetically determined. As a result, perhaps 80 percent of the population has no comprehension of what this reference is about. Sonia Baur, M.D. Garberville, Calif.