Abstract
Summary
Experiments were conducted to test the effect of cutting, squeezing and smelling lemons on the rate of parotid gland function.
Viewing the cutting and squeezing of lemons did not significantly alter parotid flow. No effect on secretion rate was observed even when the subjects performed the cutting and squeezing.
Smelling freshly cut lemons invariably produced significant elevations in parotid flow.
These results authenticate the existence of a direct olfactory-salivary reflex and dispute the widely held concept that the thought and sight of food induces spontaneous salivary secretion.
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