BORN BLIND AND DEAF. 23 



and applying it to his nose, lips, and the tip of his tongue, 

 he rattled it smartly between his lore-teeth ; and his father as- 

 sured me that he did so with every hard substance which he 

 could convey to his mouth, and that he seemed to have pleasure 

 in repeating this motion with metallic bodies in particular. This 

 circumstance led me to conclude, that vibrations communicated 

 through the solid parts of the head, were capable of producing 

 in him, to a certain degree, the sensations of sound. But these 

 sensations were obviously so very weak, when compared with 

 those which persons who are affected with obstruction in the 

 eustachian tubes, can at all times enjoy through the medium 

 of the bones of the head, that I could not but fear that the 

 deafness in this case, depended not on any want of air in the 

 tympanum, but on some great deficiency, or radical imperfec- 

 tion in the structure of the auditory nerve. Although, there- 

 fore, no harm could result from piercing the membrane of the 

 tympanum, I did not expect that the sense of hearing would 

 be much improved by this operation. 



" With this opinion of the boy's situation, I earnestly re- 

 commended it to his father to carry him to London, and to 

 place him under the care of Mr Ware and Mr Astley Coo- 

 per, in order that the operation of couching or extraction 

 might be performed on one or both eyes, and that the mem- 

 brane of the tympanum in each ear might be perforated. 



" In the course of a few weeks, Mr Mitchell repaired with 

 his son to London. Mr Astley Cooper pierced the mem- 

 brane of each tympanum, but without the slightest benefit ; 

 and, at the same time, the late Mr Saunders operated with the 

 needle on the left eye, and, it is to be presumed, used every 

 effort which the violent struggles of the boy would permit, to 

 depress the cataract ; but not the least advantage resulted from 

 the operation. 



" In 



