BLIND. 



597 



Blind, not an original but an acquired faculty. That it is 

 y " ' not like the pereeot'on of colour, or apparent magni- 

 tude and form, at once impressed upon the mind ; 

 but presupposes a complex process of mental investi- 

 gation, in which we compare together a variety of 

 particulars made known by the eye, when we look 

 at the same object at different distances ( such as its 

 comparative distinctness or obscurity of outline, the 

 brightness of its colours, its apparent bulk, the pecu- 

 liar adjustment by which we are conscious that the 

 eye adapts itself to a variation of distance, and the 

 change in the inclination of the axis of the two eyes, 

 which a change of distance requires. On account of 

 the great rapidity with which this mental induction, 

 or comparison of particulars, is made, in consequence 

 of constant habit, those who have long used their 

 eyes are altogether unconscious of its ever having ta- 

 ken place. But it has been proved, in a most satis- 

 factory manner, by Berkeley and his followers, that 

 the estimate of visible distance really depends upon 

 such a mental investigation, or comparison ; and if 

 this be the case, it is a necessary consequence, that 

 when a person, who has been all his life totally blind, 

 is first restored to sight, he will, for some time, be 

 utterly unable to judge of distances, and will natu- 

 rally be inclined to believe, that the things which he 

 sees touch his eyes, just as the things which he feels 

 touch his skin. 

 Account of We have the satisfaction to find this defence of 

 a boy the accuracy of Cheselden's interesting report con- 



cinichedby cern j n g n j s couched patient greatly corroborated by 

 ome. a paper of Mr Everard Home, published in the Phi- 

 losophical Transactions for 1807, and containing two 

 cases of children born with cataracts, whom he re- 

 stored to sight by couching. These cases are much 

 more in conformity with the case of Cheselden's pa- 

 tient than those of Mr Ware, and clearly prove, that 

 there is a considerable diversity in the degree of blind- 

 ness which cataracts produce. In the first case, the 

 sight of the patient, a boy of twelve years of age, 

 was so obscured, that he could discern light only, 

 but neither colours nor forms. He was only imper- 

 fectly restored to vision ; but, as far as could be as- 

 certained, he had no knowledge of visible forms after 

 the operation, and judged all objects to touch his 

 eyes. The other patient, a boy of seven years of 

 age, could distinguish colours as well as light ; and, 

 therefore, had some knowledge of distance. In him 

 the operation was completely successful ; and he was 

 SO charmed with the new sense of seeing, that he took 

 every opportunity of removing the bandage from his 

 newly couched eye. He could distinguish distance 

 immediately, but had long a very imperfect know- 

 ledge of forms. " A pair of scissars," says Mr 

 Home, " was shewn to him, and he said it was a 

 knife. On being told he was wrong, he could not 

 make them out ; but the moment he touched them 

 he said they were scissars, and seemed delighted with 

 the discovery. On being shewn a guinea, at the dis- 

 tance of fifteen inches from his eye, he said it was a 

 seven shillings piece ; but placing it about five inches 

 from his eye, he knew it to be a guinea; and made 

 the same mistake as often as the experiment was re- 

 peated." The account adds, that, four days after 

 the operation, he was allowed to go about ; when, 



on going 

 moving I" 1 



to the window, he cried, " What is that Blind. 

 Mr Home asked him, what he thought /""-' 



it was ? he said, " A dog drawing a wheelbarrow. 

 There is one, two, three dogs drawing another. How 

 very pretty !" These proved to be carts and horses 

 on the road, which he saw from a two pair of stairs 

 window. At first, he called all regular shaped sur- 

 faces round ; but soon learned to distinguish those 

 that were angular. 



To persons who have been totally blind from their 

 infancy, it is altogether impossible to impart any no- 

 tion or conception of light and colours ; the eye be- 

 ing the only avenue by which such a conception can 

 reach the mind. This notion, however, seems to be 

 the only one, of all that immense stock of ideas which 

 we derive from sight, that is completely beyond the 

 reach of a blind man's capacity. Of forms, the touch 

 communicates the most accurate information ; and 

 distance must be previously ascertained by touch, be- 

 fore it is made known by the eye. Even motion, the 

 perception of which might seem peculiarly to belong 

 to the eye, is only certainly ascertained by the touch ; 

 for the eye often considers motion to be real, when 

 it is only apparent. If the ideas of the blind, there- 

 fore, be necessarily more limited than those of per- 

 sons who see, they have the advantage of superior 

 accuracy and precision so far as they extend. 



It is not, however, without much cultivation and Condition 

 care, that the blind can be enabled to make those ac- of the 

 quisitions, by which they may possess a rational Du "d. 

 source of enjoyment within themselves, and become 

 useful and important members of society. In that 

 state of mental darkness to which they are naturally 

 exposed by the deprivation of so important a sense, 

 they are objects of the liveliest compassion ; and call, 

 from their more fortunate brethren, for all the ten- 

 derness and sympathy which enlightened humanity 

 can impart. The language which Milton has put in- 

 to the mouth of Samson Agonistes is scarcely too 

 strong for their unfortunate condition, and was, no 

 doubt, dictated by his own painful feelings : 



" O loss of sight, of thee I most complain ! 



Blind amongst enemies ! O worse than chains, 



Dungeon, or beggary, decrepid age ! 



Light, the prime work of God, to mc's extinct; 



And all her various objects of delight 



Annull'd, which might in part my grief have eas'd. 



Inferior to the vilest now become 



Of man or worm. 



dark, dark, dark, amid the blaze of noon 



1 rrecoverably dark ; total eclipse, 

 Without all hope of day !" 



The appeal which the same poet makes, in his own 

 person, to the sympathy of bis readers, in the sub- 

 lime address to light in his Paradise Lost, is, perhaps, 

 still more pathetic and affecting : 



" '1'hus, with the year, 



Seasons return ; but not to me returns 

 Day, or the sweet approach of ev'n or morn, 

 Or sight of vernal bloom, or summer's rose, 

 Or flocks, or herds, or human face divine ; 

 But cloud instead, and ever during dark 

 .Surrounds me. From the cheerful ways of men 

 Cut oil'; and, for the book of knowledge fair, 

 Presented with a universal blank 

 Of nature's works, to me expung'd and ras'd, 

 And wisdom at one entrance quite shut out." 



