The sensorium: a philosophical discourse of the senses: wherein their anatomy, and their several sensations, functions, and offices, are ... describ'd ... / [Matthew Beare].

  • Beare, Matthew
Date:
1710
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The sensorium: a philosophical discourse of the senses: wherein their anatomy, and their several sensations, functions, and offices, are ... describ'd ... / [Matthew Beare]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    81/216 (page 69)
    ( ) therefore obfervable, that they who have been Jong accuftom’d to judge of Dijlances, don’t fo eafily err, becaufe their Souls have form’d a more perfeft Idea of the length of the Axis Opticus by the force it imparts. The particu¬ lar Difpofition of the Eye does likewife conduce to the right judging of the Diftanee of Objefts; for as is above faid, we widen our Eye when we are to view a diftant Thing, and lengthen it when uTe look at a very near one; and therefore ’tis probable, as we look at a nigher, or more diftant Objtft, the Eye is gradually chang’d : Fir ft, for Example, I look at a very aear Qbjeft, therefore my Eye is lengthen’d, by the Coutrdiion of the oblique furrounding Mufcles; if this Objeft be carry’d by degrees farther, thefe Mufcles are gradaally relax’d, as the Object removes, and at length the right Mufcles begin to widen the Eye, the Object drawing farther from it: This every one may in himfelf obferve when be looks at a Bird, v.g. firft rifing under his Nofe, and then by degrees leaving him, ’till at length it ar¬ rives at a great diftanee from him. Some re¬ fer this Appearance to the knowledge of the ConjunBion of the two Axes Viftonis> which may be likewife fame help towards diftinguifh- ing the diftanee of Objefts ; and for this Rea¬ son we can’t fo well determine an Objeft’s di- ftance when we view it with one Eye, as when with both. The farther diftant the Ob- jeft is, the more eafily we may be deceiv’d