This study probes in some detail the sentiment that “a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down”:
“The bad taste of medicines: overview of basic research on bitter taste,” Julie A. Mennella [pictured here], Alan C. Spector, Danielle R. Reed, and Susan E. Coldwell, Clinical therapeutics, vol. 35, no. 8 (2013): 1225-1246. The authors, at Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, and the University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, explain:
“Conclusions: Better-tasting medications may enhance pediatric adherence to drug therapy….”
BONUS:
or, if you prefer your music with historical pharmaceutical images: