Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1903-03-04
MEMS FIVE SENSES.
CURIOUS FACTS ABOUT THEM NOT
GENERALLY KNOWN.

~O~>-
Lilo uids-The Ear Is n Wonderful
Organ-The Eyes Easily Deceived.
For some unknown reason different
parts of the tongue are assigned Tor
the perception of different tastes.
With the tip we taste sweet substances
and salts, with the back we taste bitter
things and with the sides we taste
acids. The middle part of the tongues
surface has scarcely any sense OF taste
ut all.
The long named substance parabrom-
benzolc sulphinide produces a most re-
markable effect, for it gives sense or
sweetness to the point Of the tongue
and of bitterness to the back. Pure
water tastes sweet after sulphate Of
magnesia.
We can only taste things In solu-
ton; hence If the tongue were perfect
ly dry it would not be affected by the
strongest favored substance In dry
state.
The taste nerves are paralyzed by
very hot or very cold liquids. After
drinking very hot or Ice cold water
we could not taste even such sub
stance as Quinine. This fact supplies
a useful hint for consumers Of III ia
yored medicines.
Smell, though the least useful, Is the
most delicate Of all our senses. We
can smell the Observation-Disclosures
part OF grain Of musk. No chemical
analysis can detect such minute guam
titles. The most powerful microscope
would not render particle ten thou
sand times as large visible. We could
not taste 1t were 1t many thousand
times as large.
While we taste liquids, we can smell
only gases. Fill your nostrils with eau
de cologne. and you will experience no
odor whatever Fine. as our sense Of
smell is. 1t has deteriorated immensely
since the time when our forefathers
were wild men. The Caimucks can
smell an encampment twenty miles
away; the Peruvians can distinguish
all the South American races by their
OdOr.
But smell is a sense highly suscep-
tible Of cultivation even by the modern
white man. Dealers In tea, spices. per-
fumes and drugs. In consequence OF
their training. can distinguish the
faintest differences in odors.
The organ Of bearing is one Of the
most marvellous pieces Of mechanism
in the body. In animals the external
ear acts us trumpet to collect the
sound waves: In man Ii Is little more
than an ornament. but the internal ear
Is alike in both. So wonderful Is Its
construction that we can distinguish
sounds varying from forty to 1000 VI
bratiOns per second. This feat is per-
formed by u. portion Of the ear called
the organ of Corti. What wonderful
organ that is may be understood from
the fact that 1t consists of 5000 pieces
of apparatus. each piece being made
I'D of two rods. one inner hair cell and
four outer hair cells-that Is, $4,000
separate parts. In some mysterious
manner the rods. with other things, are
tuned to different notes. and when they
vibrate they cause the hairs to trans
NIT an impulse TO the nerve Of hearing.
To be musical, therefore, is to have
good organ of Corti.
Why Is II that scratching piece or |
glass with metal causes such an I'M
pleasant sound? Because 1t is what Is
called the fundamental tone Of the ear.
which is very high. What the funda-
mental tone exactly is would take too
much space to explain, but II you blow
across the mouth of bottle, hollow
globe. etc. you get its fundamental
tone.
The ear Is q deceptive organ, and II
is often q matter of guesswork to tell
whence a sound comes. Indeed. II you
place the open hands in front Of your
ears and curve them backward sounds
produced in front will appear to come
from behind.
Human beings and monkeys see most
things with both eyes. Our whole field
Of vision extends over 1870 degrees or
half circle The middle half OF this
we see with both eyes together. but
the quarter at each side Is seen only
with one eye.
All other animals see most things
with one eye only. Scarcely ever can
they fix both eyes OIL anything at the
same time But there are considerable
vara tons \ bulldog. for instance.
somewhat closely approaches the con.
dition OF n monkey. The larger the pu
pill the greater the quantity Of light
which enters the eye. Large PUZZLED
people. therefore. see the world in Il
brighter and more cheerful state than
those with snal' pupils They can see
things better In the dusk or at night.
AS every one knows from the optical
illusion pictures. the eyes are easily
deceived. A white square on "a black
ground appears larger than black
square of the same size on a white
ground. Red near green looks redder;
blue near yellow looks bluer; white
near black looks winter.
Touch really includes several senses.
Thus there are spots on the skin which
feel heat only. spots which feel only
cold. spots which feel only pain, spots
which feel only pressure and spots
which feel tickling. These spots are
supplied with nerves capable of doing
only one particular duty. The sensa
tons OF the skin are grouped by physi
ologists into three kinds-touch. pain
and temperature. The skin which Gov
ers scar has only one kind of sensa
ton. II can feel neither pressure touch
prOperI nor temperature, but perceives
pain very acutely. The tongue Is the
most sensitive Of all parts to touch, the
forehead and elbow to heat or cold.
We only dream sights and sounds
We never dream tastes or smells. II
we dream OF II flower garden. we see
the flowers but do not smell them. IL
we dream of dinner. we see the dish
~ but do not taste them.
AeIfg1on and Business.