GUSTATION 637 



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 that are recognized as sweet, acid, 

 bitter and saline ; while the more delicate shades of what are called 

 flavors nearly always involve olfactory impressions which it is difficult 

 to separate entirely from gustation. Flavors, indeed, are regarded sim- 

 ply as odors. Applying the term "savor" exclusively to the quality that 

 makes an impression on the nerves of taste, it is evident that the sensa- 

 tion 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 circumstances. 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 conditions. 

 Chlorotic females, for example, frequently crave the most unnatural 

 articles, and their morbid taste may disappear under appropriate treat- 

 ment. Inhabitants of the frigid zone crave fatty articles of food and 

 often 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 

 appetite has become cloyed ; while abstinence sometimes lends a 

 delicious flavor to the simplest 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. 



Anything 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 simple distinctions, the shades of difference are closely connected 

 with olfaction and are too delicate and too many for detailed description. 

 Some persons 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 



