94 The Savage of Avcyron, 



connefted with the phyfical and moral ftate of this boy, and 

 liaving compared them with thofe of the idiots confined at 

 the hofpital of the Salpetricre, found fuch a perfeft coin- 

 cidence Ijetwcen them, that he thought himfelf juftified in 

 declaring this creature a natural idiot. 



But a few philofophers fiill oppofed themfelves to a decifion 

 fo precipitate and fcvere. They thought it poilible that the fo- 

 litary and brutal life of the lavage of Aveyron might have pro- 

 duced a fort of habitual idiotifm, the appearances of which 

 might be fimilar to thofe of natural idiotitm ; and they held 

 it extremely unjuft to condemn the creature for ever, and 

 extremely unwife to leave fo extraordinary a phseuonienoa 

 totally unexplained ; at the fame time they fuggefted the 

 means that they conceived would be mod effeftual to roufe 

 his faculties and unfold his underftanding, if in reality he 

 had any. Locke and Condi) hac had already given the idea 

 of thefe means. Previous to any attempt to produce con- 

 nexion of ideas, the ideas themfelves fliould be created; in 

 order to create the ideas, the attention fliould be fixed ; and, 

 in order to fix the attention, the wants and neceffities of the 

 perfon fiiould be interefted. They did not wifli to teach him 

 the ufe of figns, before he could have acquired thofe notions 

 ■which thefe terms are intended to exprefs ; they wifhed to 

 work on his fenlibility, to dire6l it to its proper objefts, and, 

 by the formation of new habits, to counteradl thole depraved 

 ones by which he had already been enflaved. They faw that 

 a long time would be required to excite in him attention to a 

 world in which he was a liraugcr, and regard for objefts m 

 ■which he had been, and was yet, totally uninterefted : but 

 they refolved to apply themfelves with induftry, and to await 

 the eftecl with patience. 



The boy was committed to the care of C. Ytard, phyfician 

 of the National Inliitution for the Deaf and Dumb, in order 

 that, by the combination of phyfical and modern remedies, 

 the double incapacities under which he laboured mighi be 

 more efieftually removed. C. Ytard's exertions have already 

 been crowned with a degree of fuccefs which is almoll pro- 

 digious: he has publilhed the particulars, which he has de- 

 dicated to the National Inftitute. 



lie proceeded nearly in the following order : — The fenfe of 

 feeling feemed to be entirely paralyfed in the child : he fliowed 

 no fenfibility either to heat or cold ; his fmell and tafte were 

 plunged in a fimilar fleep. A repetition of warm baths foon 

 unfolded his nervous fenfibility : in a little time after, his 

 feeling acquired a confiderable degree of delicacy ; he became 

 nice in the choice of his food j he made ufe of a feledtion and 



a ckanlinefs 



