B L I 



B L I 



"My firll remark is, that, contraiy to the experience of 

 Air. Chefeldcn's patient, who is dated " to liave been fo 

 far from making any judgment of diftance, that he thought 

 all objefts touched his eyes, as what he felt did his fl-cin," 

 Mailer W. diilinsruifhed, as foon as he was able to fee, a 

 table, a yard and a half from him ; and proved that he had 

 fome accuracy in his idea of dillance, by faying, that it was 

 a little further off than his hand could reach. This obferva- 

 tion, fo contrary to the account we have received of Mr. 

 Cheiclden's patient, would have furprifed me much more 

 than it did, if I had not previoufiy, in fome fimil;tr inftances, 

 had reafon to fulpecl that children, from whom cataradts had 

 been extracted, had a notion of diitance the firft moment they 

 were enabled to fee. In the inftance particularly of a young 

 gentleman from Ireland, fourteen years old, from each of 

 whofe eyes 1 extracted a cataract, in the year 1794, '" '''^ 

 prefence of Dr. Hamilton, pliylician to the London hofpital, 

 and who, before the operation, alFureJ me, as did his friends, 

 that he never had feen the figure of any objeft, Dr. Hamil- 

 ton and myfelf were much alloniaicd by the facility with 

 which, on the firft experiment, he took hold of my hand at 

 different dillances, mentioning whether it was brought 

 ^ nearer to, or carried further from him, and conveying his 

 hand to nsine in a circular direftion, that Vv-e might be the 

 better fatisfied of the accuracy with which he did it. In 

 this cafe, however, and in others of a like nature, although 

 the patients had certainly been blind from early infancy, I 

 could not fatisfy myfelf that they had not, before this period, 

 enjoyed a fufScient degree of fight to imprefs the image of 

 vifible objects on their minds, and to give them ideas which 

 could not afterwards be entirely obliterated. In the inftance 

 of Mafter W. however, no fufpicion of this kind could oc- 

 cur ; fince, in addition to the declaration of himfelf and his 

 mother, it was proved by the teftimony of the furgeon who 

 examined his eyes in the country, that the cataracls were 

 fully formed before he was a year old. And I beg leave to 

 add further, that on making inquiries of two children, be- 

 tween fevcn and eight years of age, now under my care, both 

 of whom have been blind from birth, and on vshom no ope- 

 ration has yet been performed, I find that the knowledge 

 they have of colours, limited as it is, is fnfficient to enable 

 them to tell whether coloured objcfts be brought nearer to, 

 or carried further from them ; for inftance, whether they are 

 at the diftance of two inches or four inches from th. ir eyes ; 

 nor have either of them the flighteft fufpicion, as is related 

 of Mr. Cheftlden's patient, that coloured objects, when held 

 before them, touch their eves. 



But the judgment which Mafter W. formed of the different 

 diftances of objefts, was not the only inftance in which he 

 differed from Mr. CLeftlden's patient ; who, we are in- 

 formed, " did not know the figure of any thing, nor any 

 one thing from another, however different in (liape and mag- 

 nitude ;" for Mafter Wr knew and defcribcd a letter, not 

 only as white, but alfo as fquare, becaufe it had corners ; and 

 an oval filver box, not only as ihining, but alio as round, be- 

 caufe it had not corners : he hkewiie kne^v, and called by its 

 name, a white itone mug, on the firft day he obtained his 

 fight, diftinguifliing it from a bafon, becaufe it had a handle. 

 Thefe experiments were made in the prefence of two refpec-l- 

 able perfons, as well as myfelf; and they were fevcral times 

 repeated, to convince us that we could not be miftaken in 

 them. I mention the circumftance, however, with much 

 diffidence, being aware that the obfervations not only differ 

 from thofe that are related of Mr. Chefelden's patient, but 

 appear, on the firft ftatement, to oppofe a principle in optics, 

 which I believe is commonly and jullly admitted, that the 

 fenfes of light and feeling have no other connection than that 



Vol.. IV. 



which is foi-med by experience; and, therefore, that the 

 ideas derived from feeling can have no power to direft the 

 judgment, with refpeet either to the diftance or form of 

 vifible objecls. It fhould be rccollefted, however, that per- 

 fons who have catarafts in their eyes, are not, in ftrianefs of 

 fpeech, blind, though they are deprived of all ufeful fight. 

 The inftances I have adduced prove, that the knowledge they 

 have of colours is fufficient to give them fome idea of diftance, 

 even in their darktft ftate. When, therefore, their fight is 

 cleared by the removal of the opaque cryftalline, which in- 

 terceptcd the light, and the colour of objecls is thereby made 

 to appear ftronger, will it be difficult, or unphilofophical, 

 to conceive that their ideas of diftance will be ftrcngthened, 

 and fo far extended as to give them a knowledge, even of 

 the outhne and figure of thofe objeds with the colour of 

 which they were previoufiy acquainted ?" 



The miferies of blindnefs are feelingly defcribed both by 

 Homer and Milton, in the following impreffive pafTages. 

 The venerable father of epic poetry, who is faid, in the 

 perfon of Demodocus the Phreacian bard, to have defcribed 

 his own fituation, proceeds thus : 



" Tov ra-r-pi MaV sfiAiKT;, ci'Ju Y a.ya6oy te, KayJt rt, 



Odyfl". 1. 0. v. 63, 64. 



" Dear to the mufe, who gave his days to flow 

 With mighty blefiings mix'd with mighty woe. 

 In clouds and darknefs quench'd his vifual ray. 

 Yet gave him pow'r to raife the lofty lay." Pope. 



In fimilar ftrains does Milton bewail his calamity, ia hi» 

 addrefs to light : — 



" Taught by the heav'nly mufe to venture down 

 The dark defcent, and up to re-afcend. 

 Though hard and rare ; thee I revifit fafe. 

 And feel thy fov'reign vital lamp : but thou 

 Revifit'ft not thefe eyes, that roll in vain 

 To find thy piercing ray, and find no dawn : 

 So thick a drop ferene hath quench'd their orbs. 

 Or dim fufFufion veil'd. Ytt not the more 

 Ceafe I to wander, where the mufes haunt 

 Clear fpring, or fliady grove, or funny hill, 

 Smit with the love of facred fong : but chief 

 Thee, Sion, and the flow'ry brooks beneath. 

 That wafti thy hallow'd feet, and warbling flow, 

 Nightly I vifit ; nor fometimes forget 

 Thofe other two, equall'd with me in fate, 

 So were 1 equall'd with them in renown. 

 Blind Thamyris and blind- Mseonides, 

 And Tirefias and Phineus prophets old : 

 Then feed on thoughts, that voluntary move 

 Harmonious numbers ; as the wakeful bird 

 Sings darkling, and in fhadieft covert hid 

 Tunes her nodturnal note. Thus with the year 

 Sealons return ; but not to me returns 

 Day, or the fweet approach of ev'n or morn. 

 Or fight of vernal bloom, or fummcr's rofe, 

 Or flocks, or herds, or human face divine ; 

 But cloud inilead, and ever during dark, 

 Surrounds me, from the chearful wavs of men 

 Cut off, and for the book of knowledge fair 

 Prefented with an uniierfal blank 

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

 And wlfdom at one entrance quite flnit out." 



Paradife Loft, b. iii. 



Thus alio does he deplore, in the moil affecling accents, 

 tht misfortune of blindnefs in his " Sanipfon Agoniftcs :" 



" But chief of all, 

 O lofs of fight, of thee I muft comrilain ! 

 4H 



Blind 



