Dr. Tilak. S. Fernando

Is nausea a thing that we create in our mindƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦..? ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Repugnance, revulsion , queasiness , ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ abhorrence or whatever term ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ one likes to define it,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ simply ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ it ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ boils down to natural ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ human emotion that reflects ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ us towards a specific people, animal (s) ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ insect(s) , ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ object (s ) or ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the type of food each community consumes.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Charles Darwin proclaimed ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ that ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”disgust can be aroused by quite a few varying factors such as an emotion shared by different cultures which are radically assorted. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ In this regard a particular culture which considers flagrant can vary tremendously by anotherƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢. PsychologistsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ version is queasiness in a human being develops in children between ages of four and eight years.

PUKING

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Nausea is very prominently displayed when it comes to food, especially the type of meat one eats i.e. beef, pork, poultry, dogs, dingoes, cats and insects.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  For those who are used to eating a particular meat or flesh taste of animals becomes pleasing to the palate.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Ostrich meat is supposed to deduce the incidence of heart attack because the meat is rich in Omega 3 fatty acids. Although it is not a popular main course, Squirrel is regarded as a tasty food if prepared and cooked correctly! ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The squirrel’s age, size and method of preparation is supposed to influence whether one enjoys the dish or not!

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Even among meat eaters the reaction can vary such as Beef to Hindus or for some Buddhists, Pork to Muslims or meat of any kind to a vegan or a vegetarian.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ In certain countries dog meat, cat soup, frogs legs, pig faces, ox penis, monkey brains, snake flesh, birdsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚¹ nest, and snails, are considered delicacies and adored by some. Same can make another section puke even at the thought of it, apart from seeing or eating it! ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Reasons for eating of animal flesh or meat have many reasons, some are simple, and others are complex and even ethical.

There are some interesting theories put forward to weighing the pros and cons of fleshy entities. One such theory is focused on the dilemma in life and cooking, which boils down to the nature of mortality (Adam Gopnik).

He says:ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-All animals die. The choice for a pig is not between painful death and perpetual life, but between one death and some otherƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  He, ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ therefore, poses the question that ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…” if we ate only animals that died naturally, then could there beƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  any rational objectionƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  to our eating them ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” to eating their flesh in celebration of their life rather than buying it, let it ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ rot or merely burning itƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢?

The psychological reaction towards queasiness is often associated with body language or gesture of some sort, particularly by hand. This is an automatic reflex action to shield against the repulsive object. In extreme cases the person who is getting affected can react in many forms. For a start, the individualƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s facial contortions will take different forms until the mouth drops open; in severe cases it is followed by spitting and vomiting.

Once at the House of Commons Public Gallery in the UK, during a vital parliamentary debate on an important Bill, an Irish woman who ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”appeared to be heavily pregnantƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ got up from her seat from the balcony during ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ a serious moment of MPsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ debate , raised her skirt and poured ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”horse excrementƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚¹ over the balcony, as a means of protest. For the elite section of the British MPs, the Irish womanƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s reaction was the most disgusting thing that they ever witnessed or had heard of, from the House of Commons ever!

REPUGNANCE

When it comes to kissing lips it involves exchanging of millions of germs through the mouth apart from swallowing masses of someone elseƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s spit. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Just imagine having to kiss someone who has bad breath or who is a chain smoker! ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ WouldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t it be worse than rubbing oneƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s mouth on a toilet commode or licking a stale ashtray respectivelyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦?

When it comes to sexuality people tend to put this feeling of disgust on hold temporarily. Except for sanitised sex, the thought of promiscuous males and lesbian females who will stick their tongue into the mouths or virtually anywhere in a woman will make one creep with nausea.

There is a common link of disgust in our everyday life, for example when we come across an un-flushed toilet or hear of Necrophilia, which is theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ sexualƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ attraction toƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ corpses, repugnance becomes imminent.

INVEITABLE CIRCUMSTANCES

However, in certain circumstances in life, there are situations where one has to put up with aversion in oneƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s area of work. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Hangman chooses his job to kill people not because he is enthralled in seeing people die right in front of his eyes but because it forms a part of his livelihood to earn his bread and butter. So are hospital orderlies and nurses who days in and out have to deal with incontinent patients all the time putting their dislike a side. A dentist may not like to poke his hands into everyoneƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s mouth (even wearing hand gloves) if not for his profession; same can be said about gynecologists!

Queasiness has seemingly penetrated to society and become domesticated. Whether it has become hypothetical and complex as love, it has uniquely become concerned as human. The best solution, therefore, would be to stop doing something socially undesirable or taboo than to make oneƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s act becoming something revolting.

This again raises the twenty million-dollar question as to find out what makes disgusting to a third party ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚­ individually, socially, globally or ethnically! For me personally, nothing disgusts than to see a huge rat running across or to miss a flying cockroach right in front of my face!ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  How would you react if you are served with a bowl of cat soup at a dinner table? ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Yak ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦.!! ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Stomach-turning ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦.!!ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ But it may be acceptable as delicious to another person or an ethnic group!

tilakfernando@gmail.com