Two essays: one upon single vision with two eyes; the other on dew / A letter to the Right Hon. Lloyd, Lord Kenyon [on the case of Dr. Stanger], and an account of a female of the white race of mankind, part of whose skin resembles that of a negro; with some observations on the causes of the differences in colour and form between the white and negro races of men. By the late William Charles Wells ... With a memoir of his life, written by himself.

  • Wells, William Charles, 1757-1817.
Date:
1818
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Two essays: one upon single vision with two eyes; the other on dew / A letter to the Right Hon. Lloyd, Lord Kenyon [on the case of Dr. Stanger], and an account of a female of the white race of mankind, part of whose skin resembles that of a negro; with some observations on the causes of the differences in colour and form between the white and negro races of men. By the late William Charles Wells ... With a memoir of his life, written by himself. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Such is the solution which Dr. Smith has: given of this celebrated question, and such the reply which his general account of vision fur- nishes to one objection against it. But there are others which, in my opinion, cannot be so easily repelled. Before I offer these, however, I beg leave to remark, that although it were proved, as I think it may be, that he is mistaken in the fact of objects appearing single, when their pictures fall upon the middle or other corresponding points of the retinas, still the truth of what is peculiar to him * of the solu- tion he gives, might remain unshaken. Ob- jects, it may be said, are constantly seen single when we direct our.eyes to them in a particular manner. ‘Their pictures must, consequently, in every such case, fall upon the same places of the retinas ; and whether these be correspond- ing or not, the unity of the visible appearances will be owing to the connexion, which has uni- formly been observed between the sensations of * Dr. Reid attributes to Bishop Berkeley the opinion, that objects appear single to two eyes, from an experienced connexion between particular sensations of sight, and the informations of touch. But I no where find it mentioned in the works of that author; and I even think it probable, that he purposely avoided treating of the question, as he found that the solution of it, which naturally flowed from his prin- ciples of vision, was with difficulty to be reconciled to other conclusions he had derived from the same source,