tasting chemicals

[Les Slaback <lester.slaback@nist.gov>]

I guess I've reached the age where one dislikes admitting to retrospecively 'stupid' things.  But I seem to recall in my chemistry classes of my youth that when one had positive knowledge of a chemical stew that it was not unusual to 'taste' or even sniff vapors for identification purposes.  I even remember (horror of horrors) doing mouth pipetting.  While our current safety standards render such practices today as 'stupid' is it appropriate to describe accepted practices of more than 30 yrs ago in that manner?
Disclaimer:  the above are the personal musings of the author, and do not represent any past, present, or future position of NIST, the U.S. government, or anyone else who might think that they are in a position of authority.
Lester Slaback, Jr.  [Lester.Slaback@NIST.GOV]
NBSR Health Physics
Center for Neutron Research
NIST
Gaithersburg, MD  20899
301 975-5810