Evening star., 1936-08-04

Smokers never are likely'to become
culinary connoisseurs. They probably
make less fussy husbands, so far as
cooking is concerned. They seldom are
candy eaters.
They can't distinguish fine distinc-
tions in taste. In time, it is likely, one
thing tastes Just about like another
That is one of the sacrifices demanded
by nicotine, according to the findings
of DR.. J. Edward Rauth and James j..
Sinnott, Catholic University pSychol-
ogiStS.
In some way the fumes Of tobacco
deaden the sensitivity of the So-called
taste buds in the mouth and on the
tongue The effect takes place rapidly
and disappears almost as rapidly when
smoking is stopped.
The experiment was made on six stu
dents who Swore off smoking for Lent.
The ability to taste was measured by
placing on the tongue accurately deter
mined solutions of salt and of sugar in
distilled water. After a point was
reached at which the subject could taste
nothing the solution was progressively
strengthened until taste was reported.
Within a few days after they stopped
smoking they could taste half as strong
a solution of sugar as when they were
using tobacco. During the former pc
riod candy. might have been rather
tastelesS. Much of its sweetness would
have been wasted on them. The effect
with salt was not so striking, but at
least so per cent stronger solution was
needed to arouse the sense of taste in
49, iy,f ho oOkarS
The threshold of taste, says DR.. Rauth,
rises very rapidly when person starts
to smoke. Several of the subjects were
not able to keep their good resolutions
and smoked few cigarettes. The effect
was apparent almost Immediately as
their taste sensitivity fell 1t arose
almost as rapidly when they stopped
smoking again.
Some years ago DR.. Rauth measured
the taste SenSitivities of persons who
never smoked and found that for every
substance these were much more acute
than those of smokers. In the present
experiment he found that the taste sense
of those who swore off smoking soon
became as acute as that of those whose
taste buds never had been deadened by
nicotine. Thus, he points out, the effect
is temporary and reversible.
BY much the same technique DR..
Rauth hopes to determine whether the
sensory acuteness rises with age up to
the time of adolescence. This claim has
been made by psychologists, but with
little experimental basis. 1t may be.
Dr. Rauth holds, that the sensitivity
itself does not increase. but that there is
a notable increase in the individuals
associations, so that sense impression
has more meaning and hence seems to be
more acute Children sometimes can be
taught to like foods which are repulSive
to adults, but this is probably because
the dislike is due to the associations
rather than to the taste itself. In other
words, one must learn to taste.
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the Arthur D. Little Co., in certain pc
culiar locations where civil engineering
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