316 MENTAL FACULTIES. 



the Perkins Institution and Massachusetts Asylum for the Blind, stated, 

 some years ago, that four cases in New England, besides that of Julia 

 Brace, had come within his own observation. One of these had been 

 in 1841 upwards of three years under his care ; and the results of his 

 diligence and judgment in this instance have furnished more gratifying 

 results to .the psychologist and philanthropist than any, perhaps, on 

 record. 



Laura Bridgman, the subject of the case, was born in December, 1829. 

 At two years of age, her eyes and ears inflamed, suppurated, and their 

 contents were discharged. At the expiration of two more years of suf- 

 fering, it was discovered, that her sense of smell was almost wholly 

 destroyed; and, consequently, that her taste was much blunted. She 

 had, therefore, but one sense remaining, that of touch, by which she 

 could become acquainted with the external world. Whilst at home, 

 before her reception into the Asylum, she would explore the house ; 

 become familiar with the form, density, weight, and temperature of 

 every article she could lay her hands upon; followed her mother; felt 

 her hands and arms, and endeavoured 'to repeat every thing herself. 

 She even learned to sew a little, and to knit. She exhibited warm 

 affection towards the members of her family; but the means of com- 

 municating with her were limited. When it was desired that she should 

 go to a place, she was pushed; or that she should approach, she was 

 drawn towards the person. Gently patting on the head signified appro- 

 bation; on the back, disapprobation. She had made, however, a natural 

 language of her own; and had a sign to express her idea of each member 

 of the family, such as drawing her finger down each side of her face, 

 to allude to the whiskers of one; twirling her hand and arm around, in 

 imitation of the spinning-wheel, for another, &c. 



In October, 1837, she was received into the Institution for the Blind, 

 in Boston. The first experiments made with her consisted in taking 

 articles in common use; such as knives, forks, spoons, keys, &c., and 

 pasting labels upon them with their names printed in raised letters. 

 These she felt very carefully; and speedily found, that the crooked lines 

 spoon differed as much from the crooked lines key, as the spoon dif- 

 fered from the key in form. Small detached labels, with the same words 

 printed upon them, were then put into her hands, and she soon observed, 

 that they were similar to the ones pasted on the articles. She showed 

 her perception of this similarity by laying the label key upon the key, 

 and the label spoon upon the spoon. In this manner she proceeded 

 to acquire a knowledge of language; used the manual alphabet of the 

 deaf mutes with great facility and rapidity, and increased her vocabu- 

 lary so as to comprehend the names of all common objects. She could 

 soon count to high numbers; and add and substract small ones. But 

 the most gratifying acquirement which she made, and the one which 

 gave her the most delight, was the power of writing a legible hand, and 

 expressing her thoughts upon paper. She writes with a pencil in a 

 grooved line, and makes her letters clear and distinct. The author has 

 a favourable specimen now before him, in a recent well conceived, and 

 well expressed, letter to a friend. She is expert with her needle; 

 knits easily, and can make twine bags and various fancy articles very 





