Observations and Experiments on the Sense of Taste. 251 



mentioned, follow that the substance would be tasted while 

 the breath was going out. 



I therefore tried this experiment : I tried to place myself in 

 such a condition, as that the air breathed out should not have 

 been before breathed in ; that is, I applied the substance to 

 the tongue, during the course of a long expiration, as soon 

 as possible after the beginning of the expiration, but so as to 

 make quite sure that it was not before the beginning of it. 

 There was no stopping of the nose in any part of this experiment- 

 Now, according to what I have just said, the substance ought 

 not in this case to be tasted at first, even though the breath be 

 going out, but must wait till the second expiration, after an 

 intermediate inspiration, except so far as smell may pass into 

 the nose from without ; but even that would not be during 

 the first inspiration, but during the inspiration following, and 

 must, as appears from the former experiments, take place 

 only in a very trifling degree. I now tried it with lavender 

 water ; a substance in one respect inconvenient, because it dif- 

 fuses its smell so much, that it is likely that some should be 

 drawn in by the nose from without during the breathing in, 

 and thus make the trial not quite fair as to what is to happen 

 during the second expiration. But it is easy to prevent this 

 sufficiently, by spreading the hand between the nose and the 

 mouth. I found, that if I smacked it about in the mouth, as 

 you do when you wish to perceive the taste of a thing fully, I 

 tasted it even during the first expiration ; and I conclude, 

 that, during that process, at least with a thin fluid like this, 

 some of it is passed down the mouth, farther back than the 

 passage to the nose. 



When I did it without smacking, only laying it on the 

 tongue, and keeping the mouth wide open, it did not taste 

 during the first expiration, but only felt warm ; in the inspira- 

 tion, a very little scent indeed passed in from without, next to 

 none, but I had no taste in the mouth even then, only a feel 

 of warmth still ; and then, when the breath went outwards 

 the second time, I had the ordinary perception which we call 

 taste. I tried it also with ginger, which does not diffuse its 

 smell so much, and the result was just the same; no taste per- 

 ceived, but oi)l\ tlii' hot feel to the tongue, till the second 



