An appendix to the fourth edition of the anatomy of the human body ; printed separately for the use of those who have the former editions. To which are added, some observations relative to an erroneous statement made by James Douglass as to the nature of Cheselden's improved lateral operation of lithotomy.

  • Cheselden, William, 1688-1752.
Date:
1839
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An appendix to the fourth edition of the anatomy of the human body ; printed separately for the use of those who have the former editions. To which are added, some observations relative to an erroneous statement made by James Douglass as to the nature of Cheselden's improved lateral operation of lithotomy. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    after, seeing by accident a negro woman, be was struck with great horror at the sight. When he first saw, he was so far from making any judge- ment about distances, that he thought all objects whatever touched his eyes, (as he expressed it) as what he felt did his skin, and thought no objects so agreeable as those which were smooth and regular, though he could form no judgement of their shape, or guess what it was in any object that was pleasing to him*. He knew not the shape of any thing, nor any one thing from another, however different in shape or magnitude ; but up- on being told what things were, whose form he before knew from feeling, he would carefully observe, that he might know them again ; but having too many objects to learn at once, he forgot many of them ; and (as he) said at first he learned to know, and again forgot a thousand things in a day. One particular only (though it may appear trifling) I will relate. Having often forgot which was the cat, and which the dog, he was ashamed to ask; but catching the cat (which he knew by feeling) he was observed to look at her steadfastly, and then setting her down, said, so puss ! I shall know you another time. He was very much sur- prized, that those things which he had liked best, did not ap- pear most agreeable to his eyes, expecting those persons would appear most beautiful that he loved most, and such things to be most agreeable to his sight, that were so to his taste. We thought he soon knew what pictures represented, which were shewed to him, but we found afterwards we were mistaken ; for about two months after he was couched he discovered at once they repre- sented solid bodies, when to that time he considered them on- ly as party-coloured planes, or surfaces diversified with varie- ty of paint; but even then he was no less surprized, expecting the pictures would feel like the things they represented, and was amazed when he found those parts, which by their light and shadow appeared now round and uneven, felt only flat like the rest, and asked which was the lying sense, feeling, or seeing ? Being shewn his father’s picture in a locket at his mother’s watch, and told what it was, he acknowledged a likeness, but was vastly surprized ; asking, how it could be, that a large face could be expressed in so little room, saying, it should have seem- ed as impossible to him, as to put a bushel of any thing into a pint. At first, he could bear but very little sight, and the thino-s he saw, he thought extremely large; but upon seeing things larger, those first seen he conceived less, never being able to imagine any lines beyond the bounds he saw ; the room he was in he said, he knew to be but part of the house, yet he could not conceive that the whole house could look bigger. Before he