Phrenology. 371 



higher endowments. Yet some philosophers refer most of the 

 wonderful effects, attributed to the senses, to the touch alone. 

 ' Man,' say they, ' is furnished with very delicate nerves at the ex- 

 tremity of his fingers, by the use of which he is brought into inti- 

 mate acquaintance with external objects, and thence his mind is 

 excited to action; while the animals, being covered with hair, 

 are not possessed of so susceptible a sense of touch.' This in- 

 tervention of hair does not, however, afford a satisfactory proof 

 of this desideratum as appHed to animals, and besides there are 

 numerous instances of the spontaneous activity of the mind, with- 

 out the aid of the senses. In Scotland there is an interesting ex- 

 ample. James Mitchell Was born blind, and deaf, and if now liv- 

 ing is thirty-five years of age. His intellect has ever been re- 

 markably acitive. He soon became acquainted with persons and 

 things, and liked or disliked the former, forming his sentiments 

 solely by the sense of smell. He had secrefii;eness very large, and 

 when quite a lad was fond of shutting others in a room. His 

 sense of property was also remarkable: he once met an individ- 

 ual on his father's horse, and immediately made signs for him to 

 dismount. He was fond of smoking, having acquired the habit 

 when quite young. He was allowed however but four pipes a 

 day, but when absent from home, he often obtained additional 

 pipes, which he enjoyed after his customary quantum had been 

 allowed, exercising all due caution in the matter. He used dc- 

 structiveness to evade certain employments which were occa- 

 sionally assigned him, and having once ventured to crawl over 

 a board which bridged a deep stream near the house, his father 

 employed a strong man to watch, and when he repeated the ex- 

 periment, to tip the board and then rescue the child ; thereby 

 giving him a sensible warning of his danger. He so well re- 

 membered the lesson that a year afterwards, when a playmate 

 ofiended him, he took him in his arms, and dowsed him into the 

 stream. There is, as is well known, a young lady in Hartford 

 Asylum, Conn. 28 years old, destitute of hearing and sight, who 

 yet performs many skilful operations, has a particular friend of 

 her own selection, dresses her hair by feeling of the head-dresses 

 of the ladies about her, and following the mode she likes best ; and 

 moreover, recognises her property, distinguishes individuals, &;c. 

 by the sense of smell. 



The senses do not acquire their functions from one another. 

 Each sense has its peculiar function, and one cannot beanother. 

 rectify another except in a general sense. Each sense gives us a 

 notion different from the other, and we all know that in order sat- 

 isfactorily to ascertain the qualities of substances we habitually use 



