Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1893-07-14

4 PhyS10l00caI Etieot OF cave vistun0.
H. L. Tayl In scitncc.I
| Dr.. Hovey's interesting account Of
a visit 10 tho Mammoth Cave IL
March, published in Science for
April Z, 1893, recalled q recent con.
versation With my father, DR.. c. Fay.
cite TAYLOR. on ths subject Of the
cave, which he visited ia July, 1860.
He was particularly struck with,
and wildly drsc,ihss. the physiolog.
ical effects experienced on emerging
from the cave. He made the usual
long trip with some Is companions.
reaching upper air after . stay Of
abcut IL hours under ground. On
emerging, 10 ,ense of smell was in
| tensified to such N extraordinary
d'gfee that most common objects,
such as trees, plants. animals and
eve" people had strong individual
odors. mostly unpleasant. About
half the party were strongly nausested
and vomit+d. One tree could easil.
be distinguished from another by IT.
character istic odor. This effect lasted
about half an hour and then passed
off. Tho gui les told him that this
was usual experience. DE-. Hovey
alludes to this effect Of q sojourn in
tho cave i" lecture published in the
Bulletin of the l. merican Geo.
graphical Society, March 81, 1891, j"
the following words: "By contrast
with tho pure oxygen Of the cave.
the odors Of the outside world, Of the
trees, grass, wetds and flowers, are
strangely intensified AID for maj.
delicate natures overpowerin2." In
a letter dated April II, 1893, DR..
Hovey says: IL 1--we always, or gen
orally, been accustomed to rest at tht
entrance on emerging for the reason
that neglec,ing this precau,ion is apt
to he followed 10y nsag -eable con
sequences. have known visitors to
suffer from nausea and he sdache b..
r-ason Of a toa sudden change iron
the pecu iarly pure air OF the cave to
that Of the outside world. The sens,
Of smell is greatly intensified in almost
every case"
l Judge that this intensi(icat.on OF
'lfac.ory perceptions is due to ,h'
rarity OF olfactory stimuli, in the cave
IN emery. nee, III accordance witt Ii
physiological law, the percep,iv
covers for these particular stimuli
having rested, are intensified, so thai
o!ors too delicate to make an impress.
sion under ordinary c,rcu instances ar.
D s-'f"siy 1 u. Il, the c"nstan,
repetition Of the ordinary olfactor,
stimuli, this effect passes OF, and 500,
only the stronger odors are registered
in consciousness. IT, .ther words.
consciousness is mainly concerned
with the rexistration OF the contrast
between the stimulus OF the momcn,
and a background of fused AMI un-
differentiated Impressions. Ordinar,
lily, sensations are increased by more
intense stimulation. hut they ma.
also he increased, as in the illus,ra-
ton just given, by varying the back
ground 30 as to bring ordinary s.im.
uli into stronger relief. That a
similar effect has been intensified BY
her-dity is illustrated by DR.. Hovey'.
remarks on the sudi,o.v sensitivenes-
of the cave fauna. He says in the
lecture already referred to: "The
tiny (hlind) fish are colorles., havio.
cartilage inst-xi III ho"rs, sr- Wi.
parous, and are so sensitive that il u
grain 81 sand should ,Sll on the water
they would dart away with rspdity.
Blind crawfish are also found here.
whltlsh, senl.ttnrspa'ent, with re-
u,arkAblv long antennm and more
delicate in every way than those found
in outside stresms. These also are
highly sen.it " and not essily Cap.