The Savannah morning news., 1903-10-11

ment.
This however, is not exactly a decep-
ton of sense, but merely an interesting
physiological experiment More prop
erly to be described as an illusion of
taste is the peculiar effect which hot
soup sometimes has when one takes
it into the mouth without due caution
Once in while, under such circum-
stances, it causes, strangely enough
a sensation of cold, evidently because
it irritates the little nerve endings of
cold on the surface of the tongue
Just as it is impossible to perceive
two tastes at once, so likewise you
cannot distinguish two different smells
at the same instant. You may test
this by making two cornucOpias of let
ter paper and placing the large end of
each of them over some Strong-scent-
ed substance-say, peppermint and a
weak solution Of ammonia, contained
in couple of wineglasses. Then put
the small ends of the cOrnucopias into
your nostrils and notice the effect.
You will smell, not both together, but
the ammonia and peppermint alter
nately, fluctuoting back and forth one
to the other.
Now for something in a different
line:
Plunge your right hand into a jar of
water that is Just a bit too hot to be
bearable. You will withdraw it i'm
mediately and say that you cannot
stand it. But if, thereupon, you put
your left hand into another vessel con-
tanning moderately warm water. and
gradually raise the temperature of the
latter, you will find that you can en-
due it 10 or Is degrees higher than the
nrst water you tried. 1t is natural
enough that this should be so, but now
place your right hand again in Jar No
! Cthe temperature of which has not
altered by fraction of a degree). and
the water which at first was unendur-
able Will feel cool. The same hand
that found the water unbearably hot
IN the first instance experiences a SEN
satlon of GOODNESS at the same point
OF the thermometer five minutes later
Inc same idea may be illustrated in
an even more striking way by using
three jars-the first containing hot
water, the second cold water, and the
third lukewarm water If YOU put
your left hand into the lukewarm wa
ter and your right hand into the hot
water, the tepid water will feel cool.
transfer your right hand to the cold
water, and the tepid water will feel
hot. In other words, water at a given
temperature feels hot or cold accord
ing to circumstances.
one of the simplest and most strik-
ing of Illusions of feeling has to do
with the relative weight of things.
Two objects of the same shape and
color, both of different sizes Zone be-
ing, say eight or ten times as big at
the other), weigh exactly the. same
number of ounces. When asked to
judge which is the heavier ninety-nine
persons out of hundred will say that
the little .one is superior in point of
avoirdupois.
The first subconscious impression on
picking them up is that the big one
must weigh more, because of its greater
size, but the instant discovery of it's
lghtness In proportion to it's dimen-
sions causes the mental pendulum to
swing too far the other way, and
choice is made of the small object as
the weightier.
The impressions our senses receive
are, after all, to a great extent, rela-
tive. hodful of bricks emptied into
a larger receptacle seems lighter. If
sllsoddo oMl 'mooL VI p7l1Ss saS no6