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Taste Sensations in the Larynx [Ueber Geschmacksempfindungen im Kehlkopf]. (Zeits. f. Psychol., Bd. xxvii, H. 1 and 2, 1901.) Kiesow, F., and Hahn, R.

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 February 2018

Extract

Verson, in 1868, discovered in the epiglottis nerve-endings, which he regarded as essentially resembling those which Schwalbe and Lovén had then recently discovered in the tongue of man and other mammals, and regarded as the primary organs of taste. Michelson, in 1891, brought forward experimental evidence to show that they really were capable of conveying sensations of taste. In the present paper Kiesow and Hahn, after setting forth the present state of the question, describe their own experiments, carried out at the Physiological Institute of Turin. They tested the inner surface of the epiglottis, as well as the interior of the larynx, with reference to reaction to the ordinary taste stimuli—sweet, bitter, acid, salt. Only three subjects were available for complete investigation, one of these being Kiesow himself. Schroetter's laryngeal sound was used in applying the test solutions, and various precautions were adopted in order to eliminate the obvious sources of error, while all doubtful trials were left out of account. In all three subjects the majority of experiments revealed the existence of sensibility on the laryngeal surface of the epiglottis to all four orders of test substances, although the sensations were of less intensity than when the same stimuli were applied to the tongue. All the subjects declared that they had never experienced taste sensations at such a depth, and were able to indicate on the external surface of the neck the spot at which the sensations were localised. Sweet and bitter sensations were always easily recognised. Kiesow, however, was unable to identify acid stimuli, which he felt as salt, possibly because the end organs for acid in his case were lacking, and their place taken by those reacting to salt. The experiments within the larynx, made on Kiesow alone, also revealed the presence of taste sensations.

Type
Epitome of Current Literature
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1902 

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