Hello. I don't know if i have ever brought up this topic before, but what you are about to read may appear unbelievable but it is very much genuine - as far as i can tell.
I am a subscriber to a popular science magazine called "New Scientist" which as the name suggests is mainly orientated towards pregraduates and graduates. About 5 months ago i encountered an article discussing the remarkable effects of a particuar chemical compund. I think it may have been a complex organic compound (my oh my how i hate organic chemistry!)and it had a rather remarkale effect on people. Once this chemical substance was taken into a persons body they would feel the urge to laugh. And invariably the vast majority of people that were introduced to this compound (usually with the aid of a packet of cisps)did laugh outloud. I have always been curious as to how a stimulus such as tickling should bring about hysterical laughter and therefore i read this article with keen interest hoping to find a mention of some correlation between the two. Alas there was none - but what this article did mention was that the compound underwent some consumer trials in the US. The chemist responsible for manufacturing this compound hoped that the novelty factor would enable him to make his fortune. However, this was during the 60's and the big marketing people of the time dismissed the value of the chemical stating that consumers don't like to be caused to lose control or some similar crappy reason alog these lines.
Anyay - why did i mention this? Simply because there exists a chemical compound that is perfectly safe and fit for human consumption that once placed onto a persons tounge causes them to laugh incotrollably. I don't know about you - but i would like to get hold of some of this. I am in the process of trying to dig out the article and when i do i shall notify you of the name of the chemist resposible for this wonderous substance! So long as he is still alive and has not slipped into obscurity, there is a possibility that this substance could be marketed - if sufficent people were interested!
I am a subscriber to a popular science magazine called "New Scientist" which as the name suggests is mainly orientated towards pregraduates and graduates. About 5 months ago i encountered an article discussing the remarkable effects of a particuar chemical compund. I think it may have been a complex organic compound (my oh my how i hate organic chemistry!)and it had a rather remarkale effect on people. Once this chemical substance was taken into a persons body they would feel the urge to laugh. And invariably the vast majority of people that were introduced to this compound (usually with the aid of a packet of cisps)did laugh outloud. I have always been curious as to how a stimulus such as tickling should bring about hysterical laughter and therefore i read this article with keen interest hoping to find a mention of some correlation between the two. Alas there was none - but what this article did mention was that the compound underwent some consumer trials in the US. The chemist responsible for manufacturing this compound hoped that the novelty factor would enable him to make his fortune. However, this was during the 60's and the big marketing people of the time dismissed the value of the chemical stating that consumers don't like to be caused to lose control or some similar crappy reason alog these lines.
Anyay - why did i mention this? Simply because there exists a chemical compound that is perfectly safe and fit for human consumption that once placed onto a persons tounge causes them to laugh incotrollably. I don't know about you - but i would like to get hold of some of this. I am in the process of trying to dig out the article and when i do i shall notify you of the name of the chemist resposible for this wonderous substance! So long as he is still alive and has not slipped into obscurity, there is a possibility that this substance could be marketed - if sufficent people were interested!
