Morris tribune., 1885-04-08
The Tip of the Tongue.

When we want to assure ourselves, by
means of taste, about any unknown OBJ
iect-say lump of some white stuff,
which may be crystal or glass or alum
or borax or quartz or rock-Salt-We put
the tip of the tongue against1t glngeriy.
If it begins to burn us we draw 1t away
more or less rapidly, with an accom-
paniment in language strictly dependent
upon our personal habits and manners.
The test we thus occasionally apply,
even in the civilized adult state, to un-
known bodies is one that is being APP
piled every day and all day long by child
rem and savages. Unsophisticated hui
manity is constantly putting everything
it sees up to its mouth in frank spirit
of experimental inquiry as to its gusta-
tory properties.
In civilized life we find everything
ready labeled and assorted for US; we
comparatively seldom require to roll
the contents of suspicious bottle Gin
very small quantitics) doubtfully upon
the tongue in order to discover whether
it is pale sherry or Chill vinegar, Dublin
stout or mushroom catsup. But in the
savage state, from which, geologically
and biologically speaking, we have only
Just emerged, bottles and labels do not
exist. Primitive man, therefore, in his
sweet simplicity, has only two modes
open before him for deciding whether
the things he finds are or are not strictly
edible The first thing he does is to
sniff at them, and smell being, as Mr..
Herbert Spencer has well put it, an an
ticipatory taste, generally gives him
some idea of what the thing is likely to
prove. The second thing he does is to
pop it into his mouth, and proceed prac-
tically to examine its further character
istics. Strictly speaking, with the tip Of
the tongue one can't really taste at all.
If you put small drop Of honey or
of oil of bitter almonds on that part of
tho mouth, you will find (no doubt to
your great surprise) that it produces no
effect of any sort; you only taste it
when it begins slowly to diffuse itself,
and reaches the true tasting region in
the middle distance. But if YOU put a
little cayenne or mustard on the same
part, you will find that it bites YOU i'm
mediately-the experiment should be
tried sparingly-while if you put it
lower down in the mouth you will sWal-
low it almost without noticing the pun
gency of the stimulant. The reason is
that the tip of the tongue is supplied
only with nerves which arc really nerves
of touch, not nerves of taste proper;
they belong to a totally different main
branch, and they 60 to a different CEN
ter in the brain. together with the very
similar threads which supply the nerves
of smell for mustard and pepper. That
is why the smell and taste of these pun
gent substances are SO much alike, as
everybody must have noticed, a good
sniff at mustard-pot producing al
most the same irritating effect as an
incautious mouthful.
As rule, we don't accurately dis
tinguish, it is true, between these dif-
ferent regions of taste in the mouth in
ordinary life; but that is because we US
ually roll our food about instinct:Veiy,
without paying much attention to the
particular part affected by if. Indeed,
when one is trying deliberate expert
ments in the subject, in order to test
the varying sensitiveness Of the differ
ant parts to different substances. it is
necessary to keep the tongue quite dry
in order to isolate the thing YOU are eX-
perimenting with and prevent its spread
ing to all parts of the mouth together.
In actual practice this result is obtain
ed in rather ludicrous manner-by
blowing upon the tongue between each
experiment with pair of bellows.
To such undignified expedients does
the pursuit of science lead the ardent
modern psychologist. Those domestic
r;Uole of Dy EorbeS EiDSlopJ tho cer
wants, who behold the enthusiastic in
vestigator alternately drying his tongue
in this ridiculous fashion. as if he were
a blacksmith's fire, and then squeezing
put a single drop of essence of pepper,
vinegar, or beef tea from glass syringe
upon the dry surface, not unnaturally
arrive at the conclusion that master has
gone stark mad, and that, in their pri-
rate opinion, it's the microscope and the
ikeleton as has done it.