A philosophical and medical sketch of the natural history of the human body and mind ; to which is subjoined, an essay On the difficulties of attaining medical knowledge, intended for the information and amusement of those who are, or are not, of the medical profession : published for the benefit of the General Hospital at Bath / by James Makittrick Adair, M. D. member of the Royal Medical Society, and fellow of the College of Physicians, at Edinburgh.

  • Adair, James Makittrick, 1728-1802.
Date:
1787
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A philosophical and medical sketch of the natural history of the human body and mind ; to which is subjoined, an essay On the difficulties of attaining medical knowledge, intended for the information and amusement of those who are, or are not, of the medical profession : published for the benefit of the General Hospital at Bath / by James Makittrick Adair, M. D. member of the Royal Medical Society, and fellow of the College of Physicians, at Edinburgh. 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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    ,the field of vifion: The force of the rays of light is partly weakened by the eye-brows and eye-lids. The eye is an organ fo necefTary to the prefervation of animals, that few, even of infe6i:s, are without it. Some fliell-fifh have eight, and flies &c. have five; but notwith- flanding the ftory of the Cyclops, it is not -probable that any ainimal has left than two. The furface of the eye is .perpetually moif- tened by a fine fluid, which is conveyed into the noflril by a du6l. Its pafTage is fome^ times interrupted by the influence of fome paffions, efpecially grief and joy; and it flows down the cheeks in form of tears: it is re- markable that horfes, deer, and dogs, alfo fhed tears. It would be impoflible, confiflqntly with the nature of my plan, to enter on a fcien- tific confideration of vifion; to explain which, the theory of optics, a very curious and com- plicated branch of philofophy, mufl pre vioufly be underflood. I fhall only remark, therefore, that the rays of light reflefted from obje6ls of vifion, pafTmg through the pupil, and refrafted by the humours of different degrees of denfity, G fall