Imatges de pàgina
PDF
EPUB

was quite disorganised. In the other, the lens was opaque, and the state of the iris was such, that he did no more than puncture with a fine needle the capsule of the lens, and so left it to be disposed of by the aqueous humour and the absorbents. She never has been able to distinguish objects of sight, nor is there any evidence of her seeing excepting shrinking back whenever a hand was waved between her eye and the light. She gave no sign of hearing the loudest efforts of the voice, but shrank back when a poker (held by a string to her ears) was swung against a grate, or struck with the back of a large knife, and also when the nurse, who attends her, stamped on the boarded floor on which she stood. She probably heard the sound from the poker, but might merely have felt the vibrations excited by the stamp (as most of us have felt, as well as heard, the vibrations. of the deck of a steam-boat).* I have often

It has been satisfactorily ascertained, that dumbness in similar cases is not from organic defect of any part of the structure employed in speaking, but is owing to the impossibility of making the requisite ad

felt vibrations over the whole of my trunk from the bass notes of a powerful organ, and have been informed by competent judges, that two ladies, impenetrably deaf, have expressed unequivocal pleasure, by intelligent looks, and moving their hands quickly all over their persons, whenever music producing strong vibrations gratifying to their feelings was played. In the experiments made by Dr. Wollaston on Mr. Cross's wild animals, it may be a question whether their inattention to all notes of the organ but those of the bass was owing to the vibrations felt, or the resemblance of the sounds to those of prey attempting to escape.

I once asked a deaf and dumb boy of 15, how he knew that he made sounds audible to others (when repeating the Lord's Prayer,

justments by willing the appropriate actions of the muscles of the larynx, tongue, lips, &c., for want of hearing to regulate them. I found a boy, about eight years of age, in the Asylum for the Deaf in Exeter, who, not having been born deaf, had recently lost his hearing. In consequence of this, his speech was in a transition state, from having lost the assistance of his ears to adjust his organs of speech.

for instance). His written answer (pointing to his throat) was, that he felt vibrations, through muscular sense, which he had been assured were productive of sounds audible to others.

Touch seemed to be the only sense by which others communicated with the subject of this Paper, or which she herself employed in examining the persons or things that came in her way. She seemed pleased while sniffing the fragrance of a flower, and tasting some sweetmeats which I gave her; but never had been observed to employ the sense of smell (as Mitchell, the blind, deaf, and dumb boy, whose case was so philosophically investigated by my revered friend and instructor, the late Professor Dugald Stewart), or the tip of her tongue and teeth in the examination of any object which excited her attention. The sensible and observant mistress of the workhouse told me that a very marked change in her whole deportment took place at the age of fourteen or fifteen. Till then, her existence seemed merely animal. From that time she has been as attentive to dress and

personal decorum as any other girl, and even more attentive to the arrangement of her hair, which was clean, well brushed, and combed, and neatly disposed. She always carries her own brush and comb in her pocket. This I am inclined to think is instinctive in the female character. The final cause is obvious

My mother bids me binds my hair."

She feels her way without a guide to every part of the workhouse, and recognises all its inmates by the feel of their hands and clothes. She makes her bed, and can sew, not only plain work, but sleeves and the more intricate parts of dress; and is angry when stockings, shoes, or any other article is given to others, and not equally to her. She is very tenacious of what she considers as peculiarly her own, and seemed as much gratified as any other poor person would have been with a shilling,*

* Having learned from Mr. Collier, who lectures on the Deaf and Dumb, that at Portsmouth there was a poor uneducated woman (Gill, upwards of forty years of age, the daughter of a waterman) who has been deaf, dumb, and blind from childhood, and who was said to have this mental peculiarity-that when money

which I put into her hand-smiling, curtesying, and feeling it eagerly for some time after.

At the time Mr. Tyrrell operated on her eye, she had for her constant companion a girl of eight years old, who had so perfectly

is given her she lays it on the mantel-piece, to which she returns in about an hour; but, instead of being pleased at finding it still there, is angry if it have not been taken away-I wrote to my intelligent friend, Major Willes, of the Royal Marines, and begged him to see her, if possible, and send me all the well-authenticated particulars he could collect. The following is an extract from his letter, dated Portsmouth :—

"I went to the Star and Garter Inn, and in the presence of the respectable landlady examined the sister of the poor woman, who is the subject of your inquiry. Her enjoyment of good health is the reason why none of the medical men here knew any thing of her. The only surgeon who ever attended her, and that when young, is dead. She had some small vision until seven or eight years of age-enough to carry her clear of large objects, and to avoid danger. The story of the money is as it has been stated, although I thought it would have been quite the reverse. Her power of distinction and memory from the touch is most remarkable. If any articles are out of their usual place she appears uneasy. Her sister (who supports her), having been absent two years, came to see her. After feeling her with her hands for some time, she recognised, and kissed her. She readily distinguishes clothes, whether new or old, good or bad, fine or coarse, and by a par

« AnteriorContinua »