An essay on blindness, in a letter to a person of distinction : reciting the most interesting particulars relative to persons born blind, and those who have lost their sight : being an enquiry into the nature of their ideas, knowledge of sounds, opinions concerning morality and religion, &c. interspersed with several anecdotes of Sanderson, Milton, and others : with copper-plates elucidating Dr. Sanderson's method of working geometrical problems / translated from the French of M. Diderot, physician to His most Christian Majesty.

  • Diderot, Denis, 1713-1784.
Date:
[1780?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An essay on blindness, in a letter to a person of distinction : reciting the most interesting particulars relative to persons born blind, and those who have lost their sight : being an enquiry into the nature of their ideas, knowledge of sounds, opinions concerning morality and religion, &c. interspersed with several anecdotes of Sanderson, Milton, and others : with copper-plates elucidating Dr. Sanderson's method of working geometrical problems / translated from the French of M. Diderot, physician to His most Christian Majesty. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by University of Bristol Library. The original may be consulted at University of Bristol Library.

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    claws ? The elephant will look on us as infeds and all the animals, very readily allowing us a reafon, with which we fhould at the fame time ftand in great need of their inftind, will fet up to be endued with an inftind, by means of which they do very well without our reafon. One of our company alked the blind man, whether he fhould not be very glad to have eyes ? “ Were it not for curio- “ fity,” laid he, “ I would full as lieve “ have long arms.. My hands, I think, “ would inform me better of what is do- “ ing in the moon, than your eyes or your “ telefcopes. Befides, the eyes fooner ‘c ceafe to fee, than the hands to touch “ that to improve the organ which I have, “ would be as good as to give me that te which is wanting in me.” This blind man points with fuch exad- nefs at the place whence a noife comes, that I make no doubt the blind may, by pradice, become very dexterous, and very dangerous. Here is a paffage which will fhew you, how imprudent it would be to ftand