320 On the late efforts in France and other parts of Europe 



perceived the written syllables, he pronounced them, if at the same 

 time they were repeated to him ; but if the writing was removed, 

 the syllables were in vain articulated in the most distinct manner ; 



he could not follow them. 



" His pronunciation is very defective ; the r rolls disagreeably 



upon his tongue, and the differences in accent appear unknown to 

 him. He exhibits also a phenomenon which has engaged the atten- 

 tion of the commissioners. When they spoke a word distinctly to 

 him, he repeated it immediately ; but if his instructor wished to ad- 

 dress his understanding, signs and expressions of countenance were 

 employed. It would have been thought, that after having acquired 

 a new mode of expressing his wants and ideas, he would have neg- 

 lected that which had formerly served him, and which is inferior to 

 speech ; but hitherto, the contrary has happened. The natural lan- 

 guage of Honore, i. e. by signs, instead of going gradually into 

 disuse, and being replaced by speech, has rapidly gained a degree of 

 perfection and force which it did not possess before he had acquired 

 the sense of hearing. 



" In recapitulation, Honore Trezel, who,^i year ago, was so com- 

 pletely deaf as not to be able to hear the loudest noises, understands 

 all kinds of sounds, knows when they come from a distance, distin- 

 guishes their character, avoids carriages and horses, and proceeds to 

 open the door when any one knocks. He is pleased with music, 

 and can appreciate and repeat all the articulations of the French 

 language. He obeys the spoken commands of his instructor, but 

 does not yet sufficiently understand other people : and he learns, 

 analyzes and repeats a number of phrases at length."* 



This report, plausible as it is, did not excite, in the minds of phy- 

 sicians who were most interested in the subject, that confidence, 

 which ordinary readers would probably give it. It was asserted that 

 some of the statements of M. Deleau, with regard to the operation, 

 were to any one acquainted with the anatomy of the ear, utterly 

 incredible ; and that the brevity and obscurity with which the ope- 

 ration .was described, were such as to destroy, or at least very much 

 to impair all confidence in its truth. It was affirmed too, that a pal- 

 pable contradiction existed between the report presented to the 

 Academy, of Sciences and the account of Deleau ; for while in the 



* Louie et la parole rendues a Honori Tr6zel t scntrd-muet de naissance, etc 



ft ^ y"N >"^. me 



Paris, 1825. 



i 



