could you tell me anything about an ancient asian "lie detector"
whereas the king,in order to find out a truth,could feed someone a
"food"(or other substance) and if they were to lie,they would begin to
choke or gag from some type of reaction from lying and the  "food" in
their mouth?

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Request for Question Clarification by tar_heel_v-ga on 19 Nov 2003 10:49 PST

I have uncovered something similar in that a suspected liar was given
something to eat and then spit it out and it was examined to determine
if the person was lying.  I am looking for additional references to
back up my initial finding.  Does this sound familiar?

-THV

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Clarification of Question by mikes150-ga on 21 Nov 2003 15:46 PST

yes, something about the way there mouth would get dry or something like that.

mikes150...

Thanks for your question.  Lie detectors, polygraph, whatever you want
to call it, trying to find a system that will tell you if someone is
lying has been going on for years and years.  In ancient Asia, a
suspected liar was asked an easy question, such as his name, and would
reply with an answer.  They would then hand the accused a handful of
rice, knowing how many grains they had.  The accused liar would hold
the rice in his mouth for three seconds and then spit it out.  They
accusers would then count the rice.  Then, another question would be
asked.  After answering, the accused would again put the rice in
hismouth, hold it for three seconds, then spit it out.  If more grains
came out than went in, it was assumed he was lying because the stress
of being caught in a lie causes the mouth to dry, which mean less
grains of rice stick.

Thank you again for your question.  If you need any additional
clarification, please let me know.

Regards,

-THV

Search Strategy:
ancient asia lie detector
rice lie detector

References:

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - This story is all about lies and the people they hurt
http://www.jsonline.com/lifestyle/people/jan02/13482.asp

Getting at the truth behind lie detectors
http://www.msnbc.com/news/604221.asp