The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-03-20

| 1t would now seem, from experiments
which have been carried on in the Uni
versity of Iowa, that we do not taste
our daily meals. 1t is asserted conf
IDENTIFY that we merely smell them.
When we drink coffee or tea, for in
stance, we really do not taste them; it
is the effect which they have on the OIL
factory nerve that we experience. If
the nose is tightly closed in the ordi-
nary man and he is blindfolded, he will
not be able to distinguish coffee from
water or weak solution of Quinine.
This has been proved by experiments
made on many persons. Common cof-
fee was said to be water; it was also
said to be quinine. Water was said to
be coffee. Tea was called coffee. Tur-
key was called pork. Raw apple was
called grape juice. Malt extract was
sherry wine. Lard was pronounced but
ter. In short, experienced persons were
unable to distinguish many common
foods and drinks when sensations of
smell were removed, and the odd con-
clusion was reached that a person
might even practice economy in eating
by merely blindfolding the eyes and
substituting lard, pork and beef for
butter, turkey and venison, while if the
further precaution was taken to close
the nose, a very weak solution of quiz
nine would pass for good coffee and
vinegar for the most costly wine.
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The experiments which led to these
conclusions were carried on by Profess
sor G. T. w. Patrick of the University
of Iowa, who has just communicated
some of the results of his work to the
American Psychological society. Pro
lessor Patrick was enabled to attain
great accuracy in his work by the fact
that one of the persons he experimental
upon was an anosmic-that is, abso-
lutely devoid of the sense of smell. He
was enabled thus to determine which
sensations We're those of taste and
which were smell. He experimental al
so on normal subjects and some Of the
results were surprising.
There are only four simple taste SEN
sations, namely, sweet, bitter, sour and
salt. 1t is said by some that there are
only two, sweet and bitter. All other
sensations which are commonly called
tastes are complex results of sensations
of smell, touch, temperature and sight.
The means by which we distinguish
almost all of our common foods and
drinks is not the sense Of taste SO, much
as it is the sense of smell, touch, tenn
perature and sight. All the fine differ
ences by which we distinguish the va
riouS fruits, meats and drinks depend
not upon taste at all, but upon these
other senses Pure sensations of taste
add hardly more than certain emo
tional element to the complex sensa-
tions. Sweet things we call good
and bitter things we call bad" while
salt and sour add a certain piouancy,
which is pleasing when not excessive.
HARD TO ELIMINATE SMELL.
A partial proof of these facts may
be given by merely blindfolding the
eyes and closing the nose and taking
various kinds of foods and drinks into
the, mouth without swallowing them.
1t will then be found that it is quite
impossible to distinguish many of the
commonest foods and drinks. If the
further precaution be taken to elimin-
ate as much as possible the senses of
touch and temperature upon the tongue
by presenting the material in liquid
form or chopped into small bits, the
results are still more striking. It is
difficult to eliminate the sense
of smell in normal subjects. Professor
Patrick was able, however, by expert
with a subject possessing no
sense of smell whatever, and compar-
ing the results with those obtained
from normal subjects, to get more ac-
curate results as to the more important |
part played by smell in distinguishing
foods and drinks. 1t is, of course gem
orally known that what is popularity |
mistaken for the taste of coffee, tea |
and wine is only their aroma or odor !
shown that coffee and tea have a dis