GUSTATION. 663 



is not regarded as definitely determined. Stimulation of this part in mon- 

 keys simply produces peculiar movements of the nostril and lip of the same 

 side. 



GUSTATION. 



The special sense of taste gives the appreciation of what is known as the 

 savor of certain substances introduced into the mouth ; and this sense exists, 

 in general terms, in parts supplied by filaments from the lingual branch of 

 the fifth and the glosso-pharyngeal nerves. 



It is assumed by some physiologists, that the true tastes are quite simple, 

 presenting the qualities which are recognized as sweet, acid, saline and bit- 

 ter ; while the more delicate shades of what are called flavors nearly always 

 involve olfactory impressions, which it is difficult to separate entirely from 

 gustation. Applying the term savor exclusively to the quality which makes an 

 impression upon the sense of taste, it is evident that the sensation is special in 

 its character and different from the tactile sensibility of the parts involved and 

 from the sensation of temperature. The terminal filaments of the gustatory 

 nerves are impressed by the actual contact of savory substances, which must 

 of necessity be soluble. To a certain extent there is a natural classification 

 of savors, some of which are agreeable, and others, disagreeable ; but even 

 this distinction is modified by habit, education and various other circum- 

 stances. Articles that are unpleasant in early life often become agreeable in. 

 later years. Inasmuch as the taste is to some extent an expression of the 

 nutritive demands of the system, it is found to vary under different condi- 

 tions. Chlorotic females, for example, frequently crave the most unnatural 

 articles, and their morbid tastes may disappear under appropriate treatment. 

 Inhabitants of the frigid zones crave fatty articles of food and will even 

 drink rancid oils with avidity. Patients often become accustomed to the 

 most disagreeable remedies and take them without repugnance. Again, the 

 most savory dishes may even excite disgust, when the sense of taste has be- 

 come cloyed, while abstinence sometimes lends a delicious flavor to the sim- 

 plest articles of food. The taste for certain articles certainly is acquired, 

 and this is almost always true of tobacco, now so largely used in civilized 

 countries. 



Any thing more than the simplest classification of savors is difficult if 

 not impossible. It is easy to recognize that certain articles are bitter or 

 sweet, empyreumatic or insipid, acid or alkaline, etc., but beyond these sim- 

 ple distinctions, the shades of difference are closely connected with olfac- 

 tion and are too delicate and too many for detailed description. Some per- 

 sons are comparatively insensible to nice distinctions of taste, while others 

 recognize with facility the most delicate differences. Strong impressions 

 may remove for a time the appreciation of less powerful and decided 

 flavors. The tempting of the appetite by a proper gradation of gustatory 

 and odorous impressions is illustrated in the modern cuisine, which aims 

 .at an artistic combination and succession of dishes and wines, so that the 

 agreeable sensations are prolonged to the utmost limit. This may often be 



