3998. Concerning taste
I spoke with spirits about the sense of taste, which they do not experience, but rather a faculty that enables them to find out how something tastes to a person on earth. They said that it is a kind of smell, which they cannot describe. I could feel that taste and smell come close to each other, as is clear from certain tastes that are almost the same when sensed by smell. It is especially clear, as said, from the fact that brute animals sense the foods that suit them by smell before they do so by the taste. Thus the taste does not reveal to them the character of the food, but rather the odor, so they do not eat anything but what agrees with their nature and is beneficial to them. It is otherwise with man, who judges his food by the taste, and cares little whether it is wholesome or not. 1748, 19 Nov.
3998. CONCERNING TASTE.
I spoke with spirits concerning the sense of taste, which they do not perceive, but are merely conscious of something from which they know how a substance tastes to a man. They said that it was a species of odor, which they could not describe. It was perceived that taste and smell very nearly agree, as in the case of certain sapid bodies which are almost similar when perceived by the smell. This is especially clear as was said, from the fact that brutes perceive by the smell those kinds of food which are suitable for them, the quality of which they learn by the smell before tasting of them. Thus it is not the taste, but the smell which indicates the quality of their food; they therefore eat no other than such as is adapted to their nature, and which are wholesome. It is otherwise with man, who is governed by taste in his eating, and provided the taste be agreeable cares little whether his food be wholesome or not.
3998. De gustu
Loquutus cum spiritibus de sensu gustus, quem non percipiunt, sed quoddam ex quo cognoscunt, qualiter sapit homini, dicebant, quod species esset odoris, quem describere non possunt; perceptum quod gustus et olfactus conveniant, sicut [constat] a quibusdam sapidis, quae similia paene sunt, dum sentiuntur olfactu; imprimis, ut dictum, ex eo, quod bruta olfactu percipiunt cibos, qui iis conveniunt, quos prius percipiunt olfactu, quam gustu, gustus sic non manifestat iis, qualis cibus, sed olfactus, quare non alia edunt, quam quae naturae eorum conveniunt, et quae iis salubria sunt, aliter homo qui ex gustu cognoscit, et modo gustus sit, non curat an salubre sit vel non. 1748, 19 Nov.