III. GUSTUS ORGANUM per Laurentium Bellini novissimè deprehensum.
The Author proposing to himself to discover both the principal Organ of the Taste, and the nature of its object, begins with the latter, and examins first, what is Taste? He judges that it is caused by nothing but Salts, which being variously figured, affects the tongue variously: alledging this for his chief reason, that the Salt which is extracted by Chymists out of any mixt body whatever it be, carries away with it all its taste, and that the rest remains tasteless. He adds that the Teeth in grinding the Food, serve much to extract this Salt: And he notes by the by, that the Teeth are so necessary for preparing the aliment, that certain Animals which seem to have none, have them in their stomach; and that nature has put at the entry of the palat of those that are altogether destitute of them, certain moveable inequalities, which are to them instead of Teeth.
But then secondly, concerning the Organ of Taste, he esteems, that 'tis neither the Flesh, nor the Tongue, nor the Membrans, nor the Nerves found there, nor the Glanduls, called Amygdalinæ; but those little eminences that are found upon the tongue of all Animals. To obtain which, he observes,
1. That from the middle of the Tongue to the root, as also towards the tip, there are found innumerable little Risings
called Papillares; but that from the tip of the Tongue unto the string there is observed none at all.
2. He hath experimented, that if you put Sal Armoniack upon the places of the Tongue, where those Eminencies are not, you shall find no Taste; but that you will find it presently assoon as you put any such Salt, where they are to be met with. Ergo, saith he, those Eminencies are the principal Organ of Taste.
3. He assures, that with a Microscope, may be seen in those Risings many little holes, at the bottom whereof there are small nerves, terminating there: But he directs, to observe this in live and healthy, not in dead or sick Animals.
Having laid down these Observations, he concludes, that the manner, after which Taste is perform'd, is this, That the particles of Salt passing through those pores, which pierce the Papillary Eminences, and penetrating as far as to the nerves, that meet them there, do by the means of their small points prick them; which pricking is called the Taste.
In the mean time he acknowledges, that before him Signior Malphigi, Professor at Messina, had made some of these discoveries.
The notice of these two last Books we owe to the French Journal.