RECOVERED FROM BLINDNESS. 65 



Who examined his eves in the country, -that the cataracts were 

 fully formed before he was a year old. And I beg leave to 

 add further, thai on making inquiries of two children, be- 

 tween i'evtn\ and eight years of age, now under my care, 

 both of whom have been blind from birth, and on whom no 

 operation has yet been performed, I find that the knowledge 

 they have of colours, limited as it is, is fttfficient to enable 

 them to tell whether coloured objects be brought nearer to, 

 or carried further from them, for in fiance, whether they are 

 at the diftance of two inches or four inches from their eyes \ 

 nor have either of them the flighted fufpicion, as is related of 

 Mr. Chefelden\s patient, that coloured objects, when held 

 before them, touch their eyes. 



But the judgment which Matter W. formed of the different R-emarks oa 

 diftances of objects, was not the only inftance in which he "8 ures » 

 differed from Mr. Chefelclen's patient; w r ho, we are in- 

 formed, " did riot know the figure of any thing, nor any one 

 thing from another, however different in fliape and magni- 

 tude ;" for Matter W. knew and defcribed a letter, not only 

 as white, but alio as fquare, becaufe it had corners ; and an 

 oval filver box, not only as mining, but alfo as round, becaufe 

 it had not corners : he likewife knew, and called by its name, 

 a white flone mug, on the firft day he obtained his fight, dif- 

 tinguifhing it from a bafon, becaufe it had a handle. Thefe 

 experiments were made in the prefence of two refpeclable 

 perfbns, as well as myfelf ; and they were feveral times re-/ 

 peated, to convince us that we could not be miftaken in them. 

 I mention the circumftance, however, with much diffidence, 

 being aware that the obfervations not only differ from fhofe 

 that are related of Mr. Chefelden's patient, but appear, orr 

 the rirll ftatement, to oppofe a principle in optics, which I 

 believe is commonly and juflly admitted, that the fenfes of * 

 fight and feeling have no other connection than that which is 

 formed by experience; and, therefore, that the ideas derived 

 from feeling can have no power to direct the judgment, with 

 refpeft either to the difiance or form of vifible objects. It 

 fhould be recollected, however, that perfons who have ca- 

 taracts in their eyes, are not, in ftrictnefs of fpeech, blind, 

 though they are deprived of all ufeful fight. The inftances I 

 liave adduced prove, that the knowledge they have of colours' 

 is fufficient to give them fome idea of diftance, even in their 



darkeft 



