VARIATIONS OF SENSIBILITY. 40*9 



As soon as the instrument which had made the 

 perforation was withdrawn, the by-standers began 

 to address him in a very low tone of voice, and 

 were surprised at receiving no answer, and at his 

 remaining immoveable in his chair, as if stunned 

 by a violent blow. At length he burst out into the 

 exclamation, " For God's sake, gentlemen, re- 

 frain from crying out so terribly loud ! you are 

 giving me excessive pain by speaking to me." 

 The surgeon,* upon this, retired across the room; 

 unfortunately, however, the creaking of his boots 

 caused the gentleman to start up in an agony from 

 his chair, at the same time applying his hand 

 instinctively to cover his ear ; but in doing this, tlie 

 sound of his fingers coming in contact with his 

 head was a fresh source of pain, producing an effect 

 similar to that of a pistol suddenly fired close to 

 him. For a long time after, when spoken to, even 

 in the lowest whisper, he complained of the dis- 

 tressing loudness of the sounds; and it was several 

 weeks before this excessive sensibility of the audi- 

 tory nerves wore off: by degrees, however, they 

 accommodated themselves to their proper function, 

 and became adapted to the ordinary impressions of 

 sound. Some time afterwards, this gentleman had 

 a similar operation performed on the other ear, and 

 with precisely the same results : the same degree 

 of excessive sensibility to sounds was manifested on 

 the restoration of hearing in this ear as had occurred 

 in the first ; and an equal time elapsed before it was 

 brought into its natural state. 



The most striking illustrations of the extent of 



* M. Maunoir, of Geneva, on whose authority I have given this 

 account. 



