Dejects and Curiosities of Sight. 19 



particular machine that had been evolved in the history of past 

 ages and specially adapted to be acted upon by light. The speaker 

 went on to demonstrate by means of photographic experiments the 

 different parts and functions of the eye, the deceptive effects of 

 light and colour on vision, and the remarkable difference between 

 vision with one and vision with two eyes. He mentioned that 

 people who were blind could never dream visual dreams, but the 

 striking fact was that human beings were never born blind. If 

 blindness occurred during the early days of the existence of a child 

 it was due to some form of contamination, which could be remedied 

 by timely medical treatment. Professor Stirling went on to refer 

 to defective vision as it affected school children, and said that 

 shortsightedness was rare before school age, but it was more 

 common in city schools and badly-lighted schools, it increased 

 with the time spent studying near objects, and it was more apparent 

 from the lowest to the highest classes. The illumination in schools 

 should come from the left and not from the right of the scholars. 

 The speaker also alluded to colour-blindness, which he described 

 as one of the very few hereditary diseases, and which affected from 

 three per cent, to four per cent, of the population, in nearly every 

 case males. Many of the defects and diseases of the general body, 

 he declared, were attributable to defective vision. 



On the proposition of Mr W. H. M'Laughlin, D.L., 

 seconded by Dr. A. Trimble, a hearty vote of thanks was accorded 

 to Professor Stirling for his entertaining lecture. 



