Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-20

IA /OAdEN seem to be more sensitive to thu
w taste than men. Children are most sem
sittVe Of all. But acuteness Of taste. so far az
other substances are concerned, seems to have
nothing TO do with ability to taste this
chemical
TO some OF those who cannot taste bitterness
In the chemical it has entirely different
type of taste.
DR.. BlakesIee says. Some call it peppery.
others salty. Perhaps these terms mean as
many distant kinds of tastes; perhaps they are
due to dihiculties in finding words to describe
the same sensory reaction"
DIR. Blakeslee wants to know Of any other
similar sense blindness to one narticallar Oh
ject. It Is quite likely that there may be mary
which have so far escaped observation. He
himself ran across one quite by accident In his
own experimental flower garden.
He had been raising several different kinds
or verbena flowers. One he noticed had a
particularly delightful fragrance. . He called
the attention Of friend to this flower and told
him that he thought Of calling It the arbutus
verbena because the odor from &c so much
assembled that rare wild flower Of the Spring
woodsides
The friend shifted the blossom and was
amazed to discover that it was completely oder
less. However, he exclaimed over the fragrance
Of the flowers Of another plant in which Dr.
Blakeslee was unable TO detect any odor.
Each suspected the other OF q hoax and
they Immediately called in all the persons
available to smell the two varieties and settle
the dispute. OF 40 persons who smelled the
two varieties of verben@ two4thlriIk Eouldt no.
tace fragrance in the mink flowers but none
the red, but not In the pink. Unfcrtunately an
early frost killed the plants before further OBJ
servations could be made. -. - -.
At Ohio State University. further research
on the heredity Of taste blindness has
been conducted by Dr. Lawrence II. Snyder,
known for his Investigations Of the possibility
OF determining paternity and race by means
OF distinctive blood groups. !, He has tested ESQ
families with para ethoxy- phenyl-taie-c arba-
midc ~
In 126 families both parents tasted and "a
per cent OF the children tasted In 90 families
only one parent tasted and only So per cent
OF the children tasted. Neither parent in the
remaining IS families could taste the chemical
and only one child tasted. This single excep-
ton is thought to be due to. the fact that one
OF the parents had previously had the taste
ability and in some way lost IT. E
The taste organs are distributed throughout
tne mouth and throat, appearing in greatest
abundance on the papillae Of the tongue on
the walls OF the papillae are clusters of cells
known as taste bulbs, which transmit taste SEM
sations to the brain.
DR. Snyder is now studying the physiology
OF this compound He is mapping on the
tongue to locate the particular taste receptors
sensitive to it. He says:
Undoubtedly the whole field. Of the physi.
ology of taste is thrown open anew, and new
viewpoints on this subject are bound to result.
These experiments are Of interest to students
Of heredity because thy show natural inRorn
differences Ia sense perceptions DIR. Blakeslee
points out.
nTHE differences discovered in ability to dis
tinguish odors and tastes emphasize tho
fact that humans are not al created free and /,
equal" he said. a j ,4sHss rs .ss4s,
"a relatively few cannot perceive certain !.
cOlors and are called color blind. high pro.
portion Of people, however, are unable to per.
ceive certain odors and certain tastes and hy
analogy may be called Odor blind and taste
blind II we are blind to certain tastes. ~
cannot rightly complain II others make wrv
faces when they taste these same substances
a biological study Of sense perceptions should
make. us more tolerant Of the feelines a
,Essi-s5S IcfTT77esD
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