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 _Amygdalinae_; 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_ {367} 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_.
* * * * *
_Correct in Number._ 19.
Page, 342. line, 33. read _mixt Ores_, in stead of, _mixt with Ores_.
* * * * *
_London_, Printed for _John Martin_, Printer to the _Royal Society_, and
are to be sold at the _Bell_ a little without _Temple-Bar_.
{369}
* * * * *
_Numb._ 21.
PHILOSOPHICAL
_TRANSACTIONS._
* * * * *
_Munday_, _January_ 21. 1666.
* * * * *
The Contents.
_An Account, formerly promised, of Monsieur _Hevelius's_ Calculation of
the late _Solar Eclipse's_ Quantity, Duration, &c. The Figure of the
Star in the Constellation of _Cygnus_, together with the New Star in
it, discovered some years ago, and very lately seen again by the same
Mr. _Hevelius_. An Extract of a Letter, written by Mr. _Auzout_,
concerning a way of his, for taking the _Diameters_ of the Planets, and
for knowing the _Parallax_ of the _Moon_: Giving also a Reason, why in
the _Solar Eclipse_ above-mentioned, the _Diameter_ of the _Moon_ did
increase about the end. A Relation of the loss of the Way to prepare
the _Bononian Stone_ for shining. A Description of a _Swedish Stone_,
affording _Sulphur, Vitriol, Allum_, and _Minium_. A Relation of the
Raining of Ashes. An Extract of a Letter from _Rome_, rectifying the
Relation of _Salamanders_ living in Fire. An Account of several
Engagements for _Observing of Tydes_. Some Suggestions for Remedies
against Cold. A Relation of an uncommon accident in two Aged Persons.
An Account of Two Books, _I. ISMAELIS BULLIALDI ad Astronomos Monita
duo: Primum, de Stella Nova, in _Collo Ceti_ ante aliquot annos visa.
Alterum, de Nebulosa Stella in _Andromedae_ Cinguli parte _Borea_, ante
biennium iterum orta. II. ENTRETIENS sur les vies & sur les Ouvrages
des plus excellens Peintres, antients & modernes, par M. FELIBIEN_._
* * * * *
_Monsieur _Hevelius_'s Calculation of the late _Solar Eclipse's_ Quantity,
Duration, &c._
This _Calculus_ was not long since communicated by Monsieur _Hevelius_ in a
Letter to the _Publisher_, as follows, {370}
_Eclipsis Solaris._
_Observata An. 1666. D. 2. Julii, St. N. Mane, a Johanne Hevelio._
----+-----------------+-----------+----------+--------+--------+----
Ordo| |Temp aestin | |Altitude| |
Pha-|Quantitas |sec. horol |Temp. sec.| [Sun] |Tempus |
sium|Phasium |ambulat. |Sciother. | |correct.|Anim.
----+-----------------+-----------+----------+--------+--------+----
| |H. ' " |H. ' " | deg.. ' |H. ' " |
| |5.51.11 |5.51. 0 |17.45 |5.53.12 | 1.
| |5.57. 5 |5.57. 0 |18.37 |5.59.28 |
| |6. 0. 0 |6. 0. 0 |18.55 |6. 1.28 |
----+-----------------+-----------+----------+--------+--------+----
|Initium |6.55.30 | | |6.57.30 | 2.
1 |0-3/8 dig. |6.57.30 | | |5.59.30 |
2 |0-3/4 |7. 0.23 |7. 0. 0 | |7. 2.23 |
3 |1-1/8 |7. 2.30 |7. 2. 0 | |7. 4.30 |
----+-----------------+-----------+----------+--------+--------+----
4 |1-1/2 dig. |7. 4.50 |7. 5 fere.| |7. 6.50 |
5 |1-3/8 fere. |7.10.57 |7.10 | |7.12.57 |
6 |3-3/8 |7.14.59 |7.15 | |7.16.59 |
7 |3-3/4 |7.17.50 |7.18 fere.| |7.19.50 |
----+-----------------+-----------+----------+--------+--------+----
8 |4-3/8 dig. |7.21.35 |7.21 | |7.23.35 |
9 |4-2/3 |7.23.43 |7.23 fere.| |7.25.43 |
10 |5-1/4 |7.27.53 |7.28 | |7.29.53 | 3.
11 |6 |7.31.50 |7.32 | |7.33.50 |
----+-----------------+-----------+----------+--------+--------+----
12 |6-3/4 |7.36.55 |7.37 | |7.38.55 |
13 |6-7/8 paul. plus.|7.38. 5 |7.38 | |7.40. 0 |
14 |7-1/8 |7.39.45 |7.39 | |7.41.45 |
15 |7-1/4 paul. plus.|7.42.30 |7.42 | |7.44.30 |
----+-----------------+-----------+----------+--------+--------+----
16 |7-1/2 |7.44. 6 |7.44 | |7.46. 6 |
17 |7-2/3 |7.46. 0 |7.46 | |7.48. 0 |
18 |8 fere |7.48.25 |7.48 fere | |7.50.25 |
19 |8-1/5 |7.51.15 |7.51 | |7.53.15 |
----+-----------------+-----------+----------+--------+--------+----
20 |8-1/4 paul. plus.|7.53.37 |7.52 | |7.55.37 |
21 |8-3/4 |7.55.45 |7.56 fere | |7.57.45 |
22 |8-3/4 paul. min. |7.59. 5 |7.59 | |8. 1. 5 | 4.
23 |8-1/5 |8. 6.30 |8. 6 | |8. 8.30 |
{371}
----+-----------------+-----------+----------+--------+--------+----
24 |7-3/4 |8.11.25 |8.12 | |8.13.25 | 5.
25 |7-1/4 fere. |8.17.30 |8.18 | |8.19.30 |
26 |7 fere. |8.19.41 |8.19 | |8.21.41 |
27 |5-7/8 |8.28. 8 |8.28 | |8.30. 8 |
----+-----------------+-----------+----------+--------+--------+----
28 |5-1/2 fere. |8.30.14 |8.30 | |8.32.14 |
29 |4-3/4 |8.36.25 |8.36 | |8.38.25 |
30 |3-5/8 |8.43.19 |8.43 | |8.45.19 |
31 |3-1/4 |8.46.12 |8.46 fere.| |8.48.12 |
----+-----------------+-----------+----------+--------+--------+----
32 |3 |8.47.32 |8.47 | |8.29.32 |
33 |2-3/4 |8.50.57 |8.50 | |8.52.57 |
34 |2-1/2 fere |8.54.15 |8.54 | |8.56.15 |
35 |1-3/4 |8.58.24 |8.58 | |9. 0.24 |
----+-----------------+-----------+----------+--------+--------+----
36 |1-1/8 |8.59.35 |8.59 | |9. 1.35 |
37 |0-5/6 |9. 1.38 |9. 1 | |9. 3.38 |
38 |0-1/2 |9. 3.20 |9. 3 |Altit. |9. 5.20 |
39 |Finis. |9. 6.53 |9. 6 |[Sun] |9. 8.53 | 6.
----+-----------------+-----------+----------+--------+--------+----
| |9.23. 6 | |47.33 |9.25 28 |
| |9.24.16 | |47.42 |9.26.45 |
| |9.28.29 | |48.10 |9.30.42 |
| |9.30.36 | |48.28 |9.33.12 |
_Animadvertenda._
1. Quod Sciatericum cum correcto tempore non omnino convenit, non-nisi
Lineae Meridianae imputandum.