Address / by Freeland Fergus, M.D., F.F.P.S.G., F.R.S.E., President, delivered before the Society on 4th November, 1908, at the opening of Session 1908-1909.

  • Fergus, A. Freeland (Andrew Freeland), 1858-1932.
Date:
1908
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Address / by Freeland Fergus, M.D., F.F.P.S.G., F.R.S.E., President, delivered before the Society on 4th November, 1908, at the opening of Session 1908-1909. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    mind, in early life lays down those centres of the brain which in after life it is going to use ? This is not the place, nor have I the time to take up at the tail end of an address such as this, a criticism of the old materialistic doctrine, but the more one studies the philosophy of sight the more one sees the necessity of predi¬ cating intelligence behind mechanism. A most interesting pamphlet on this aspect of vision is that of Laugel, entitled “Optics and Art.” If I have not wearied you, and if I may again tresspass on the boundless good nature which I have found so prevalent in this Society ever since I became officially con¬ nected with it, I may at some future time digest that most inter¬ esting monograph for your benefit. Since preparing this address I have had interesting details of one of the two patients whose cases I have specially mentioned; namely, that of the student. Not only was his career at the school excellent, but he afterwards became a brilliant student in the University of Edinburgh. Unfortunately, he has passed over to the great majority, but at the time of his death he was engaged preparing for his University degree with honours in Mental Philosophy. Surely there was no lack of intelligence there, and yet he was not able to be taught to read. It is true that he could see in a certain way. He could see a piece of paper lying on a table, or other similar objects, and could even read large letters such as are used in bills on the street. In other words, he had just that amount of sight which depends upon the light sense, but he had not, in any degree, that function to which the name of visual acuteness is properly applied. Such persons seem to have those powers of vision which depend upon the light sense and upon no other.