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XXXI. Case of a lady born blind , who received sight at an 
advanced age by the formation of an artificial pupil. By James 
Wardrop, Esq. F. R. S. Edin. Surgeon Extraordinary to the 
King, &c. Communicated by the President. 
Read June 15, 1826. 
A s imperfections in the original structure of our organs 
of sense, which are remediable by art, are extremely rare, 
and as cases of successful operations on these organs essenti- 
ally contribute to illustrate their functions, as well as to throw 
light on the operations and developement of the human mind, 
the following instance of vision being imparted to a lady born 
blind, by an operation at an advanced period of life, will, it 
is hoped, not be considered unworthy of being submitted to 
the consideration of the Royal Society. 
The case, besides establishing the curious physiological 
fact, that the nerve of the eye can remain fit to receive the 
impressions of external objects, though totally excluded for 
a long series of years from the performance of that function, 
claims a much higher interest in a philosophical point of 
view ; some of the facts here detailed confirming in a re- 
markable manner what Berkeley had predicated of “ a man 
bom blind being made to see,” in the 79th Section of his 
“ New Theory of Vision,” published in the year 1709. He 
says, “ a man born blind being made to see, would, at the 
first opening of his eyes, make very different judgements of 
the magnitude of objects intromitted by them from what 
