How women’s tongues are shorter than men’s, and other things you may not know about a vital organ
- The tongue is a versatile organ used for taste and talking; different animals use theirs as a cooling system, a weapon, and a brush
- An expert explains how to keep the tongue healthy, why we shouldn’t scrape it, and why it heals so quickly in the event of injury or ailments
Children stick theirs out in a cheeky gesture of defiance, or are taught rhymes to twist it. Adults ‘bite’ theirs to stop them saying something they shouldn’t. Some people can roll theirs. or touch the end of their nose with it. As we get older and can’t remember the names of people or places, we claim the word is on its tip; we are talking, of course, about the tongue.
A muscular organ, it is covered in tiny bumps, or papillae, which give it its rough texture. Thousands of taste buds – humans have between 3,000 and 10,000 – cover the surfaces of the papillae. The four common tastes are sweet, sour, bitter, and salty.
Saliva is important in activating taste receptors – that’s why we usually taste salty things first, as salt dissolves quickly in the moisture on our tongues.
Dr Terry Hung, a Hong Kong-based specialist in otorhinolaryngology (ear, nose and throat surgery), describes the tongue as “the most important organ in speech production”.