Disturbances of Taste of Otitic Origin With Special Reference to Operations on the Ear

The perception of taste in the anterior two thirds of the tongue occurs through the chorda tympani nerve, whereas the posterior third is innervated from the glossopharyngeal nerve. Gustatory sense over the posterior third of the tongue has always been attributed to the glossopharyngeal nerve. The rôle of the chorda tympani in the transmission of the sensations of taste from the anterior two thirds of the tongue is also well established, but there is marked divergence of opinion in the medical literature as to the pathway for the taste fibers from the geniculate ganglion in the facial nerve to their central nucleus in the pons. It has been shown by many observers that the loss of taste on the anterior two thirds of the tongue has followed complete palsy of the fifth nerve, as in cases of extirpation of the gasserian ganglion. Cushing1in 1903, from his careful study and