TASTE. 



The compound taftcs are very numerous ; but we have 

 Xvords to exprefs but fix of them: i. Aujlcre, which is 

 ailringent and bitter, as in the green and foft ftones of 

 grapes. 2. Acerb, properly fo called, which is ailringent 

 and acid, as in the juice of unripe grapes. 3. Acrid, which 

 is pungent and hot. 4. Muriatic, which is fait and pun- 

 gent, as in common fait. Lixivious, which is faltnefs joined 

 with fome pungency and heat. 6. Nitrous, which is falt- 

 nefs joined with pungency and cold. 



Tail ■ conftitutes one of the moft obvious characters of 

 bodies, and much is to be judged from it of the nature of 

 many things. Dr. Abercromby, in a treatife partly written 

 on this fubjedl, has carried his obfervations fo far, as to lay 

 down a fet of rules for the judging of any plant, or other 

 body, without knowing what it is, merely from its tafte, in 

 regard 10 its virtues in medicine. 



In order to judge of what he exprefsly means by the 

 names of the feveral taftes, it is proper to add the liil: of 

 them, with fome of the things to which they are applied. 



Plants, fruits, &c. are eitiier four as the common forrcl, 

 harlh as the medlar, auftere or rough as the quince, fweet as 

 the fre(h juice of ripe grapes, fat and oily as the fefamum, 

 bitter as gentian or the wild cucumber, fait as common fea- 

 falt, tart as garlic, or, laftly, infipid as the gourd, or of 

 lome mixed talles, made of two or more of thefe. 



The har{h or acerb things are cold, repelling, and bind- 

 ing, hardly concofted, and they may all be known upon the 

 tongue by their contradling or drying it. The auftere or 

 rough things differ from thefe only in degree, as being fome- 

 what milder in tafte, and weaker in virtues. 



The four or acid things are always cooling ; but this 

 never to excefs, by reafon of their penetrating parts : this 

 tafte is known by a biting on the tongue, but without any 

 heat. Sweet things are all nutritive ; and taking the word 

 in its proper fenfe, they only have this quality. Their 

 fweetnefs arifes from their neither being too hot nor too cold 

 upon the tongue. 



Fat things are moderately hot, and, on this account they 

 all, in fome degree, moiften and relax ; but they alfo ob- 

 ftruft : they are known from the fweet things by filling, 

 and, as it were, anointing the tongue, without giving that 

 fenfe of pleafure that the others do. 



Salt things are aftringent and deterfive ; the one quality 

 they have from their earthy part, the other from their 

 watery. 



Bitter things may be very beneficial to the ftomach ; but, 

 in improper cafes, they may alfo do hurt. The pungent 

 bitters, fuch as the elaterium, or wild cucumber, are all 

 hurtful, unlefs rendered fafe by other means. 



Tart things are hot, and often bad for the head, but good 

 in heavy and phlegmatic conftitutions : they are known by 

 their heat in the mouth. 



Laftly : infipid things in general have no peculiar quahty, 

 but are cold and watery ; they are generally hurtful to the 

 ftomach, unlefs mixed with hotter and fpicy things. Aber- 

 cromb. Nov. Medic. Clavls. 



It is obferved by fir John Floyer, that the tafte is fo good 

 a judge for us, that all the chemical principles in plants may 

 be difcovered by it, before their diftillation. All watery 

 plants (hew their phlegm, as well to the tafte as by diftilling ; 

 and in all dry woods, the tafte difcovers the earth they con- 

 tain, as well as a chemical analyfis ; by the mucilaginous 

 and gummy tafte, and by the manifeft oilinefs in fome plants, 

 we diftinguiih their abounding in oil as well as by the retort. 

 The fmell alfo helps us greatly in an extemporary judging 

 of plants, and we ai'e able to declare upon the fpot, that all 

 the aromatic plants, and all the fetid ones, contain a large 



quantity of a volatile oil and hJt. By the acrimony and 

 pungency, we are <vell alfured that there is a volatile fait in 

 plants ; and by the burning tafte of others, we find that 

 there is a corrofive fait in them. By a crude rough acidity, 

 we diftinguiih the tartar or eftential fait of plants to be in 

 large quantity ; but if the acidity be of a vinous fmell, we 

 oblerve that it is of a middle ftate of digeftion, and may be 

 called a vinous tartar, and diftinguilhed from the firil ; but 

 if the tartar have a pungent fmell, then it is evidently a vola- 

 tile tartar, or an acid acrid tartar. 



The fweet taftes are more numerous in plants, and more 

 varied among themfclves than any other kind. Thefe, in 

 general, (hew their oil by thin (limy fmoothnefs, and their 

 tartar is evident in their extratls, as is very plain in the com- 

 mon liquorice-juice. 



Tile grals-fweets, as the common dogs-grafs, and the like, 

 have much eftential lalt, and a moderate portion of oil ; and 

 the ru(h, reed, horfe-lail, and cats-tail, are all fweet and 

 rough ; fome of thefe have more oil, and others more acid ; 

 and the moft crude among them have more oil than tartar. 

 The corn-fweets, as barley, rye, wheat, oats, millet, and 

 rice, have much oil and eflential fait, and a little volatile ; fo 

 bread, prepared of any of thefe, yields, on analyfis, oil and 

 eftential and volatile fait. 



It is to be obferved here, that fermentation and fire fe- 

 verally produce a volatile fait, where it was not before, by 

 fubtilizing and volatihzing the eflential fait ; and the (limy 

 mcalinefs in corn fupplies the oil. The goats-beard and 

 fcorzonera-kind have the fame principles as the gralfes, much 

 oil and effential fait. The fub-acrid fwects, as rampions, 

 campanulas, trachelia, and the like, contain mucii oil and 

 eifential fait ; but the acrimony in thefe plants (liews that 

 they have alfo a volatile fait, and that in no fmall quantity ; 

 though Lemery, and the other chemical writers, have not 

 obferved this. 



The ferns, polypodies, and all that clafs of plants, con- 

 tain much oil and eifential fait ; but the chemills in general 

 have omitted to mention an acrid principle in all thefe, which 

 befpeaks a volatile ialt ; and fragrancy is obferved in fome 

 of the harts-tongues, which befpeaks a volatile fait alfo, and 

 volatile oil, though hitherto unobferved. 



All the legumuious (limy fweets have more oil than tar- 

 tar ; but all of them have a large quantity of both. Beans, 

 peas, and lentils, have alfo a volatile fait, as has alfo that 

 ftrange fruit, eaten in RufTia, and fome other places, and 

 called hnticula aqunlica by fome ; but by the botanical 

 writers, Irihulus aquaticus ; the other name bclongnng to the 

 common duck-weed. The aromatic legumens, fuch as me- 

 lilot, have an exalted oil, and volatile fait. The honcy- 

 fuckle is faid by Lemery, and the other chemifts, only to 

 have an effential fait and oil ; but as there is a highly aro- 

 matic flavour, and great acrimony, there muft be alfo a 

 volatile fait. 



Thefe are fome few inftanccs, out of a vaft number re- 

 cited by the author, for the reft of which we refer to the 

 paper itfelf in N"^ 280 of the TranfaAions. Philof. Tranf. 

 N" 299, p. 1 160. See Tasiini;. 



Taste is alfo ufed, in a figurative fenfe, for the judg- 

 ment and difceniment of the mind. 



We talk, and we hear every day of tafte, of good tafte, 

 and of bad tafte, and yet without well underftanding what 

 we mean by the word : in effeft, a good tafte fecms to be 

 little elfe but right reafon, which we otherwife exprefs by 

 the word judgment. 



To have a tafte, is to give things their real value, to be 

 touched with the good, to be (hocked with the ill ; not to 

 be dazzled with faJfe appearances ; but, in fpite of all co- 

 lours. 



