Studies on the sensitivity of taste and tasteblindness in Japanese

I. Frequency of the taste sensitivity to. Phenylthio-carbamide, lactose and Aspirin.

Abstract

Researches on the taste-blindness tRo P. T. C. were first taken up by A. L. Fox in 1931, and since then many valuable reports have been published.
The author has the pleasure to add here his study. Healthy Japanese of both sexes, 2281 in number, aged from eleven to eighty years, were examined with three test substances-henyl-tho-carbamide, lactose and aspirin.
The results obtained are as follows.
1, The percentage frequency of taste-blind persons, including so-called weak-tasters who are supposed to be almost near to taste-blindness, to P. T. C. was 11.09%, lactose 4.82%, and to aspirin 18.8%.
2. In the percentages of tasters to each of these three substances, the sexual difference is statistically not significant
3. No relation between taste-blindness and unbalanced feeding habit has been found.