144 ^^^ ^^^ c/ Farriery 



A re- I had a pretty odd Cafe of the Eyes once under 



markable my Care, which was this. A young Fellow, who 

 *-3i^' vvas a Sailor, and a vifiting his Friends upon his Re- 



turn from Sea, who lived near Grmskirk, being one 

 Day walking in the Fields by himfelf, was ftruck 

 blind all of a fudden, without any previous Indif- 

 pofition, either in his Habit of Body or Eyes. Up- 

 on this, he was obliged to call out and make a Noife 

 for Help to carry him Home ; and as Luck would 

 have it, a Foot-Path leading thro' the fame Field 

 he was in, fomebody pafs'd that Way in a little 

 Time, and led him to his Habitation. After a 

 while he was condufted to me at Lancajler, where, 

 upon my viewing his Eyes, I found it a Gutta Se- 

 rena which he was afflifted with, and judged the 

 fame incurable, notwithftanding the poor Man's 

 Eyes appear'd as clear, bright, and tranfparent, both 

 within and without, as any Perfon's living. The 

 Reader may fuppofe the Confufion and calamitous 

 Condition the young Man mud be in, who had his 

 Bread to earn, when I told him his Cafe was defpe- 

 rate, which proved but too true ; for he lived near 

 three Years blind afterwards, when kind Death put 

 an End to his miferable Life. 



Now what I name this Cafe for, is to ihew, that 

 a Gutta Serena may proceed either from a Dilatati- 

 on of the Blood- VefTels, or from an Obftruftion of 

 the Optick Nerve ; for I am fure no Perfon ( how- 

 foever skill'd in Opticks, and the Anatomy of the 

 Eye) could be able to judge which of the two was 

 the Caufe of the young Sailor's Blindnefs : Not- 

 withftanding, I will allow, they might argue for 

 fome Time upon the Subject in a metaphyseal Way, 

 without being ever a Whit nearer Truth, than they 

 were at firft fetting out. 

 Mr. ai fan's What Mr. Gih/bn and others fay, with relation 

 Account of to the Cure of a 'Gutta Serena, is meer Stuff and 

 ^.,^.™7;;''Nonfenfe: For, fuppofing the Caufe in the Arte- 

 ries as obferved, this Gentleman advifes Cinnabar 

 Balls, which, no doubt, as Crnnahar is much hea- 

 vier 



