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A Series of Lessons in Raja Yoga580
the handler of cloth and fabrics is able to distinguish the finest differences,
simply by the sense of touch. Wool sorters also exercise a wonderfully high
degree of fineness of touch. And the blind are able to make up for the loss
of sight by their greatly increased sense of Touch, cases being recorded
where the blind have been able to distinguish color by the different “feel”
of the material.
The sense of Taste is closely allied to that of Touch—in fact some authorities
have considered Taste as a very highly developed sense of Touch in certain
surfaces of the body, the tongue notably. It will be remembered that the
tongue has the finest sense of Touch, and it also has the sense of Taste
developed to perfection. In Taste and Touch the object must be brought in
direct contact with the organ of sense, which is not the case in Smell, Hearing,
or Sight. And, be it remembered, that the latter senses have special nerves,
while Taste is compelled to fall back upon the ordinary nerves of Touch. It
is true that Taste is confined to a very small part of the surface of the body,
while Touch is general. But this only indicates a special development of the
special area. The sense of Taste also depends to a great extent upon the
presence of fluids, and only substances that are soluble make their presence
known through the organs and sense of Taste.
Physiologists report that the sense of Taste in some persons is so acute that
one part of strychnine in one million parts of water has been distinguished.
There are certain occupations, such as that of wine-tasters, tea-tasters,
etc., the followers of which manifest a degree of fineness of Taste almost
incredible.
The sense of Smell is closely connected with the sense of Taste, and often
acts in connection therewith, as the tiny particles of the substance in the
mouth arise to the organs of Smell, by means of the opening or means of
communication situated in the back part of the mouth. Besides which the
nose usually detects the odor of substances before they enter the mouth.
The sense of Smell operates by reason of the tiny particles or the object
being carried to the mucous membrane of the interior of the nose, by means