The Hartford republican., 1913-12-05
taste ANB SMELL
Closely Allied, They Are the Most
Elusive of the Senses.
RIDDLE OF FLAVOR AND oD0R.
Smell Has Been Termed Taste at .
Distance" and the Way In Which
Anything 10 Appreciates by the Cells
Of Taste and Sm.II 10 Exactly Alike.


ef Taste and SnsII 10 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 a severe
cold In the head and ascertain how
little taste you get from your food.
even 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 way In which anything Is ap-
preciated 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 oifac-
tory bulb before its odor can be caught
and transferred to the end Of the ol-
factory nerve. The same Is the case
with the thing that Is to be tasted
IL. too. is dissolved In the juices of
the mouth aud then makes its way to
some one or more Of the taste cells.
when the chemical change takes place
which sets up sensation In the gus
, tafury- nerve. and we really taste the
substance and announce to ourselves
or others how II tastes.
Most persons think that as the tongue
In 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 II on these papillae
IL tasted. hut II II touches any spot be-
tween these II Is not tasted at all. The
tliform papillae are ut 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 ira nsfer the sensation
to the underlying nerve OF taste.
Then there are the fungiform capil-
lac. looking like little mushrooms
twhence the nameD. with taste buds OF
their own. and there are also the cir.
cumvallate papillae. only seven or ten
In number. lying toward the back OF
the tongue. forming v. with the apex
pointing toward the throat These are
little mounds with moats around them
aud taste buds lying In the mOats to
catch whatever particles Of food may
reach thus far sufficiently dissolved
10 be tasted
The middle Of the tongue and the
hard palate have no taste at all. and
this II the reason that II we are TO
take n bitter powder and il Is carefully
placed ut the center of the tongue II
can he washed down quickly by gulp
OF water. leaving no taste In the
mouth.
The taste bulbs have been carefully
measured. and Il H. found that they
are l-0DO OF Hu lucu louS uuu i-SVo W
an inch broad. oval IN shape. some
thing like small Florence dask. The
proof that tasting is a chemical proc.
ess lies In the fact that anything that
is to be tasted must be soluble. for
the unchewed food or hard coated pill
is not tasted. Tastes have been classi-
fed as sweet. bitter. acid and saline,
and experiment has shown that We
taste salty foods most rapidly-in III
Of a secondhand that sweet acid and
bitter take longer. the last requiring
25S Of second for perception.
Another peculiarity OF taste IL that
after n very strong taste OF any kind
we cannot 80 easily distinguish slight
er iavors. The nerve energy has been
exhausted for q time. and only after
a little does II return. II you have
eaten sweets for dessert you must
drink some water tn clear the mouth
OF the sweet taste or your coffee Will
taste very bitter. no matter how much
sugar you put into H. The profes'
si0nal tea faster knows that the gusta-
tory nerve becouies exbau usted, for aft