A History of Hindu Chemistry from the Earliest Times to the Middle of the Sixteenth Century A.D. v2.c34.300

v2.c34.300

Sensible qualities. Tactile qualities are of the following kinds—hardness or softness, heaviness or lightness (degrees of pressure), heat or cold, and roughness or smoothness (or dryness and viscosity?). Of these, the atoms (Anus) possess only temperature, and degrees of roughness or smoothness, but all the four kinds of tactile qualities in different degrees and combinations characterise aggregates of matter from the binary molecule upwards. The Jainas appear to have thought that gravity was developed in molecules as the result of atomic linking. Simple tastes are of five kinds,—bitter, pungent, astringent, acid and sweet. Salt is supposed by some to be resolvable into sweet, while others consider it as a compound taste. Smells are either pleasant or unpleasant. Mallishena notes some elementary varieties of unpleasant smell, e.g. the smell of asafœtida, ordure, etc. The simple colours are five—black, blue, red, yellow and white. Sounds may be classed as loud or faint, bass (thick) or treble (hollow), clang or articulate speech.