CASE OF JULIA BRACE. 315 



neglect, in not even answering her. At length, in passing a window, 

 she felt the sun shining warmly upon her hand ; and pointed with de- 

 light to indicate that she recognized this. From the January after her 

 illness, until the following August, she would sleep during the day, and 

 be awake through the night ; and it was not until autumn, by taking 

 great pains to keep her awake during the day, that she was set right. 

 At present, she is as regular in this respect as other persons. From 

 the period of her recovery, she seemed to perceive the return of Sab- 

 bath ; and, on Sunday morning, would get her own clean clothes, and 

 those of the other children. If her mother was reading, she would 

 find a book, and endeavour to do so likewise. The intervention of a 

 day of fasting or thanksgiving confused her reckoning ; and some time 

 elapsed before she got right. During the first winter after her recovery, 

 she was irritable almost to madness ; would exhibit the most violent 

 passion, and use the most profane language. The next summer she 

 became calmer ; and her mother could govern her, to some extent, by 

 shaking her, in sign of disapprobation ; and stroking or patting her 

 head, when she conducted herself well. She is now habitually mild, 

 obedient and affectionate. During the first summer after her illness, 

 she was very unwilling to wear clothes, and would pull them off vio- 

 lently. At length, her mother took one of her frocks and tried it on 

 her sister, with a view of altering it for her. Julia had ever been 

 remarked for her sense of justice in regard to property. This seemed 

 to be awakened ; and she took the frock and put it on herself. After 

 this she was willing to wear clothes, and even cried for new ones. She 

 has ever since been fond of dress. At nine years of age she was taught 

 to sew; and, since that time, has learned to knit. She has been a 

 resident for several years in the American Asylum at Hartford ; where 

 she is supported in part, by the voluntary contributions of visitors, and, 

 in part, by her own labours in sewing and knitting. A language of 

 palpable signs was early established as a means of communication with 

 her friends ; and this has been so improved as to be sufficient for all 

 necessary purposes. Her countenance, as she sits at work, is said to 

 exhibit the strongest evidence of an active mind, and a feeling heart : 

 "thoughts and feelings," says a writer who describes her case, "seem 

 to flit across it like the clouds in a summer sky: a shade of pensiveness 

 will be followed by a cloud of anxiety or gloom ; a peaceful look will 

 perhaps succeed ; and, not unfrequently, a smile lights up her counte- 

 nance, which seems to make one forget her misfortunes. But no one 

 has yet penetrated the darkness of her prison house, or been able to 

 find an avenue for intellectual or moral light. Her mind seems, thus 

 far, inaccessible to all but her Maker." 



A still more interesting example is cited by Dr. Abercrombie 1 from 

 the Medical Journals of the time. A gentleman in France lost every 

 sense except feeling on one side of his face ; yet his family acquired a 

 method of holding communication with him, by tracing characters upon 

 the part which retained its sensation. These cases are not, perhaps, 

 so unfrequent as has been supposed. Dr. Howe, the superintendent of 



.<! 



1 Inquiries concerning the Intellectual Powers, &c., Amer. edit., p. 56, New York, 1832. 



