60 CASE OF A YOUNG GENTLEMAN 



but had made no complaint of pain, cither in his head or eye. 



On the 3 1 ft, as foon as I entered his chamber, the mother, 



with much joy, informed me that her child could fee. 



He gained his About an hour before my vifit, he was {landing near the fire, 



s ' with a handkerchief tied loofely over his eyes, when he told 



her that under the handkerchief, which had flipped upward, 



he could diftinguijh the table by the fide of which the was 



and immediately fitting : it was about a yard and a half from him ; and he ob- 

 diitinguifhed a r °_ , . f ., ■ , , , , . . 



table and its dif- terved that it was covered with a green cloth, (which was 



tancei really the cafe,) and that it was a little farther off than he 



was able to reach. No further queftions were afked him at 

 that time ; as his mother was much alarmed, left the ufe thus 

 made of his eye might have been premature and injurious. 

 Upon examination, I found that it was not more inflamed 

 than the other eye ; and the opacity in the pupil did not ap- 

 pear to be much diminifhed. Defirous, however, to afcertain 

 whether he was able to diftinguifh objects, I held a letter 

 before him, at the diftance of about twelve inches, when he 

 told me, after a fhort hefitation, that it was a piece of paper ; 

 vMofquarepa- that it was fquare, which he knew by its comers ; and that it 

 * er ' was longer in one direction than it was in the other. On 



being deft red to point to the corners, he did it with great 

 precifion, and readily carried his finger in the line of its 

 longefl: diameter. I then fhewed him a fmall oblong band- 

 box covered with red leather, which he faid was red and 

 fquare, and pointed at once to its four corners. After this, I 

 a r$urtd fhining placed before him an oval filver box, which he faid had a 

 9X * fhining appearance ; and, prefently afterwards, that it was 



round, becaufe it had not corners. The obfervation, how- 

 ever, which appeared to me moft remarkable, was that which 

 and a white mug. related to a white ftone mug; which he firft called a white 

 bafon, but, foon after, recollecting himfelf, faid it was a 

 mug, becaufe it had a handle. Thele experiments did not 

 give him any pain ; and they were made in the prefence of. 

 his mother, and of Mr. Woodford, a clerk in his Majefty's 

 Other experi- Treafury. I held the objects at different diftances from his 

 it appeared that eve > anc * inquired very particularly. if he was fenftble of any 

 he knew dif- difference in their fituation ; which he always faid he was, 

 gureswith much m f° rrrun g me » on every change, whether they were brought 

 precifion j nearer to, or carried further from him. I again inquired, 



both of his mother and himfelf, whether he had ever, before 



this 



