Show I Constant Smoking Deadens Mans Man's Sense Taste Smokers never are likely to become become be be- come culinary connoisseurs They probably make less fussy husbands so far as cooking is concerned They seldom are candy eaters They cant can't distinguish fine distinctions distinctions distinctions in taste In time it is likely one thing tastes just about like an an- other That is one of the sacrifices sacrifices sacrifices demanded by nicotine according according according accord accord- ing to the findings of Dr J. J Edward Rauth and James J. J Sinnott Catholic Catho Catho- lic university psychologists In some way the fumes of tobacco deaden the sensitivity of the so- so called taste buds in the mouth and andon andon andon on the tongue The effect takes place so rapidly and disappears almost al almost almost al- al most as rapidly when smoking is stopped The experiment was made on six students who swore off smoking for Lent The ability to taste was measured by placing on the tongue accurately determined solutions of salt and of sugar in distilled wa wa- ter After a point was reached at which the subject could taste noth nothing ing the the solution was progressively strengthened until taste was report report- ed Within a few days after they stopped smoking they could taste half as strong a solution as when they were using Sing tobacco During r the former period candy might have been rather tasteless Much of its sweetness would have been wasted on them The effect with salt was not so striking but at least 50 per percent percent percent cent stronger solution was needed to arouse the sense of taste in the smokers as in the non The threshold of taste says Dr Rauth rises very rapidly when a person starts to smoke Several of the subjects were not able to keep their good resolutions and smoked a few cigarettes The effect effect effect ef ef- was apparent almost immediately immediately immediately immedi immedi- as their taste sensitivity fell I By much the same technique Dr Rauth hopes to determine whether the sensory acuteness rises with age up to the time of adolescence This claim has been made by psychologists psychologists psychologists but with little experimental basis It may be Dr Rauth holds that the sensitivity itself does not increase but that there is a notable notable notable not not- able increase in the individuals individual's associations associations associations as as- so that a sense impression impression sion has more meaning and hence seems to be more acute Children sometimes can be taught to like foods which are repulsive to adults but this is probably because the dislike dislike dis dis- dis like is due to the associations rather than to the taste itself In other words one must learn to taste |