ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL STUDIES 203 



2. The human chorda responds to the appHcation to the tongue of 

 solutions of different sugars and saccharin, quinine, acids and salts. We 

 did not obtain any positive gustatory response to water in man contrary 

 to what is the case in the rhesus monkey and some other mammals other 

 than the rat. 



3. There is a close correlation between the weakest electrical response 

 from the chorda and the threshold for salt and sucrose obtained in psycho- 

 physical experiments. 



4. Alcohol on the tongue produces an electrical response from the 

 chorda tympani already at 0.2 m concentration. Above 3 M concentration 

 alcohol produces in man a long lasting afterdischarge. This afterdischarge 

 coincides in its time course with a burning sensation. The initial phasic 

 response to alcohol of low concentrations recorded from the chorda 

 seems to derive from gustatory fibres, some of them responding prefer- 

 entially to sweet tasting substances. At increasing concentrations alcohol 

 stimulates gradually all kinds of afferent fibres in the chorda before at 

 high concentrations the alcohol finally produces a local anesthesia. 



REFERENCES 



Andersen, H., Funakoshi, M. and Zotterman, Y. 1962. Electrophysiological investiga- 

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 press. 



Anderson, B., Landgren, S., Olsson, L. and Zotterman, Y. 1950. The sweet taste 

 fibres of the dog. Acta Physiol. Scand. 21, 105-1 19. 



DiAMANT, H. and Zotterman, Y. 1959. Has water a specific taste ? Nature, Loud. 183, 

 191-192. 



V. Skramlik, E. 1926. Physiologic des Geschmackssinnes. Handbuch der Norm, imd 

 Pathol. Physiologie, Julius Springer, Berlin. 



Zotterman, Y. 1956. Species differences in the water taste. Acta Physiol. Scand. 37, 

 60-70. 



