ON SENSORIAL VISION. 409 



I come now to circular ones. Having had to submit to a 

 surgical operation, I was put under the blessed influence 

 of chloroform. The indication by which I knew when 

 it had taken effect consisted in a kind of dazzle in the 

 eyes, immediately followed by the appearance of a very 

 beautiful and perfectly regular and symmetrical " Turks- 

 cap " pattern, formed by the mutual intersection of a 

 great number of circles outside of, and tangent to, a 

 central one. It lasted long enough for me steadily to 

 contemplate it so as to seize the full impression of its 

 perfect regularity, and to be aware of its consisting ot 

 exceedingly delicate lines ; which seemed, however, to be 

 not single but close assemblages of coloured lines not 

 unlike the delicate coloured fringes formed along the 

 shadows of objects by very minute pencils of light. The 

 whole exhibition lasted, so far as I could judge, hardly 

 more than a few seconds, and I should observe that I 

 never lost my consciousness of being awake, and in full 

 possession of my mind, though quite insensible to what 

 was going on. I spoke, but the words I am told I ut- 

 tered had no relation to what I know I meant to say. 



( 1 2.) After a considerable interval of time it became ne- 

 cessary to undergo another operation, which was also per- 

 formed under chloroform, but this time the dose was less 

 powerful, or differently administered. Again the " Turks- 

 cap" pattern presented itself on the first impression, 

 which I watched with much curiosity, but it did not 

 seem quite complete, nor was it identical with the former. 

 In the intersections of the circles with each other, I 

 could perceive small lozenge-shaped forms or minute 



