The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1913-11-04
TASTE: and SMELL
Closely Allied, They Are the Most
Elusive of the Senses.
RIDDLE OF FLAVOR AND oDoR.


Anything Is Appreciated by the Cells
Of Taste and Smell is Exactly Alike.
We think We know all about tasting |
and smelling. but these are the most |
elusive senses and so closely allied that |
they have been called the welded
senses" If you wish to be convinced
of the closeness of their connection
notice the next time you have severe
cold IN the head and ascertain how
little taste you get from your food.
tven though it be the most tasty"
In fact. flavor and odor are great
puzzles to all of the physical investiga
tors. The prepOnderance of evidence
points to the suggestion that all taste
and odor are brought about by chemical
changes in the ends of the nerves hav-
| ing to do with these sensations. Smell
has been termed taste at distance"
and the wa. n which anything is ap-
preciatcd by the cells Of taste and
smell Is precisely alike.
The infinitely small particle that
reaches the nose must first be dissolv-
| ed In the mucous covering Of the olfac-
tory bulb before its odor can be caught
and transferred TO the end of the OIL
factory nerve. The same Is the case
with the thing that is to be tasted.
II. too, is dissolved in the juices of
| the mouth and then makes its way to
some one or more of the taste cells,
when the chemical change takes place
which sets up q sensation In the gus
tatory nerve. and we really taste the
substance and announce TO ourselves
or others how 1t tastes.
Most persons think that as the tongue
is the chief organ of taste you could
taste anything placed anywhere on the
tongue But this is far from being
true There are three chief kinds of
papillne OF taste on the tongue, and
anything touching 1t on these papillae
Is tasted. but II 1t touches any spot be-
tween these ii Is not tasted ut ALL The
filiform papillae are at the tip of the
tongue and at the sides, and each one
contains special taste buds" which
dissolve something of the substance
put on them and transfer the sensation
to the underlying nerve of taste.
Then there are the fungiform capil-
lac. looking like little mushrooms
: (whence the name,, with taste buds OF
their own, and there are also the cir
cumvaIlate papillae, only seven or ten
In number. lying toward the hack OF
| r,NN u hn a
pointing toward the throat. These are
little mounds with moats around them
and taste buds lying In the mOats to
catch whatever particles OF food may
reach thus fRr sufficiently dissolved
TO be tasted.
The middle of the tongue and the
hard palate have no taste at all. and
, this is the reason that If we are 70
take bitter powder and 1t Is carefully
placed ut the center OF the tongue 1t
: can be washed down quickly by gulp
of water, leaving no taste in the
mouth.
The taste bulbs have been carefully
, measured, and ii Is found that they
are 1900 of an Inch long and $500 of
an inch broad, oval In shape, some
thing like small Florence flask. The
! proof that tasting is n chemical proc
+ ess lies In the fact that anything that
0 IS TO be tasted must be soluble. FOL
2 the unchewcd food or hard coated pill
). Is not tasted. Tastes have been classi
fed as sweet, bitter, acid and saline
and experiment has shown that W,
tnste salty foods most rapidly-in ii
OF a secondhand that sweet acid ant
bitter take longer the last requiring
.25S of second for perception.
Another peculiarity of taste is tina
after a very strong taste OF any kline
we cannot so easily distinguish slight
er fayors. The nerve energy has beer
exhausted for time and only afte
little does il return. IL you hav'
eaten sweets for dessert you mus
drink some water to clenr the m0utl
of the sweet taste or your coffee Will
taste very bitter, no matter how mucl
sugar you put into II. The profes
" sional tea faster knows that the gustn
:, tory nerve becomes exhausted, for aft
er a series OF hastings he stops to Civ
his nerve OF taste an opportunity to re
% turn to its normal condition.
h In taste aud smell alike all individ
ID nails differ, The same food does n0
taste precisely the same TO any two II
,e divlduals, any more than the same pei
4, fume smells the same. There is ger
eral resemblance, but the expert VIII
" has trained his sense OF smell or tast
~ perceives finer distinctions than tn
30 person who has given little attenio
rs to these special senses and their d'
I'd Eelopment Arguments ARE OF no avail
ir MS was recognized I'm the popular an
u. ancient proverb. There IL no dispu
ing about tastes" There is no scieI
tilc explanation Of the fact that on
person likes onions and another abho
N them, Some persons are fond {
he olives only after they have cultivate
N. the taste, The only suggestion OF Il
explanation is that in some person
the chemical changes brought abOl