This may be vigorously defended; yet as I do not wish to establish a school, I venture on it only to give my readers a subject of thought, and to show that I have carefully looked over the subject of which I write.  Now I continue my demonstration of the importance of the sense of smell, if not as a constituent portion of taste, at least as a necessary adjunct.

All sapid bodies are necessarily odorous, and therefore belong as well to the empire of the one as of the other sense.

We eat nothing without seeing this, more or less plainly.  The nose plays the part of sentinel, and always cries “Who goes there?”

Close the nose, and the taste is paralyzed; a thing proved by three experiments any one can make: 

1.  When the nasal membrane is irritated by a violent coryza (cold in the head) the taste is entirely obliterated.  There is no taste in anything we swallow, yet the tongue is in its normal state.

2.  If we close the nose when we eat, we are amazed to see how obscure and imperfect the sense of touch is.  The most disgusting medicines thus are swallowed almost without taste.

3.  The same effect is observed if, as soon as we have swallowed, instead of restoring the tongue to its usual place, it be kept detached from the palate.  Thus the circulation of the air is intercepted, the organs of smell are not touched, and there is no taste.

These effects have the same cause, from the fact that the sense of smell does not co-operate with the taste.  The sapid body is appreciated only on account of the juice, and not for the odorous gas which emanates from it.

Analysis of the sensation of taste.

Principles being thus determined, I look on it as certain that taste has given place to sensations of three different orders, viz:  Direct, complete and reflected.

Direct sensation is the first perception emanating from the intermediate organs of the mouth, during the time that the sapid body rests on the tongue.

Complete sensation is that composed of the first impression which is created when the food abandons this first position, passes into the back of the mouth, and impresses all the organ with both taste and perfume.

Reflected sensation is the judgment which conveys to the soul the impressions transmitted to it by the organ.

Let us put this system in action by observing what takes place when a man either eats or drinks.  Let a man, for instance, eat a peach, and he will first be agreeably impressed by the odor which emanates from it.  He places it in his mouth, and acid and fresh flavors induce him to continue.  Not, though, until he has swallowed it, does the perfume reveal itself, nor does he till then discover the peculiar flavor of every variety.  Some time is necessary for any gourmet [Footnote:  Any gentleman or lady, who may please, is at perfect liberty to translate the word gourmet into any other tongue.  I cannot.  As much may be said of gourmand.- -Translator.] to say, “It is good, passable, or bad.  It is Chambertin, or something else.”