82 



ON ALBINOES, 



The oldest de- 

 scribed. 



The younger. 



Approach to It 

 in a relation. 



Supposed want 

 of the black 

 mucus in the 

 eye. 



puny child. The fifth child, a girl, had blue eyes and brown 

 hair. The sixth, and last now here, is a perfect albino. 



The oldest of these albinoes is now nine years of age, of a 

 delicate constitution, slender, but well formed both in person 

 and in features ; his appetite has always been bad; he fre- 

 quently com plains of aduli pain in his forehead; his skin is 

 exceedingly fair; his hair flaxen and soft ; his cheeks have 

 very little of the rose in them. The iris and pupil of his eyes 

 are of a bright rose-red colour, reflecting in some situations 

 an opaline tinge. He cannot endure the strong light of the 

 sun. When desired to look up, his eyelids are in constant 

 motion, and he is incapable of iixing the eye steadily on any 

 object, as is observed in those labouring under some kinds of 

 slight ophthalmia, but in him it is unaccompanied by tears. 

 His mother says, that his tears never Ajw in the coldest wea- 

 ther, but when vexed they are shed abundantly. The white 

 of the eye is generally bloodshot. He says he sees better by 

 candle than by daylight; especially at present, when the re- 

 flection from the snow on the ground is extremely offensive to 

 him. He goes to school, but generally retires to the darkest 

 part of it to read his lesson, because this is most agreeable 

 to his eyes. In my room, which has a northern aspect, he can 

 only distinguish some of the fetters in the pages of the Edin- 

 burgh Review; but, if the light is not permitted to fall full 

 on the book, he is able to read most of them. He holds the 

 book very near his eye. His disposition is very gentle; he is 

 not deficient in intellect. His whole appearance is so re- 

 markable, that some years ago a person attempted to steal 

 him, and would have succeeded in dragging him away, had 

 not his cries brought a person to his assistance. 



The youngest child is now nine months old ; is a very stout, 

 lively, noisy, and healthy boy. In other respects he perfectly 

 resembles his brother. 



The mother says, that one of her cousins has a very fair 

 skin, flaxen hair, and very weak light blue eyes. 



Professor Blumehbach of Gottingrn, in a curious memoir 

 read before the Royal Society of that city, endeavoured to 

 prove, that the red colour of the eyes of the albinoes of 

 Chamouni was owing to the want of pigment urn nigrum within 



the 



