A London Surgical Miracle.

Manawatu Herald, 28 July 1903, Page 2

A London Surgical Miracle.

SIGHT RESTORE© TO ONE BLIND. The age of miracles has passed, bat the story of how a man, Blind from nirth, has, at the age of thirty received the blessing of sight by means of m operation by Dr Maitland Ramsay, is almost wonderful enough to > be catalogued as a miracle* The patient luring his blindness developed 1c all extraordinary degree the blind man s lower of distinguishing things and of finding his way about the world by the -tenses of sound, smell and touch. Blindness was, a family inheritance with him. One of his sisters lost her fight at the age of two years, and died blind at thirty-five. Another sister, aow thirty-three years old, was born __ blind, and was educated in the Blind t \sylum; but he was allowed to run about as he pleased, no attempt to educate him having ever been made, He became so familliar with the country district (a miles from Glasgow) in which he resided, that he could go about without the slightest fear; and his hearing was so acute that he never had any difficulty in keeping himself out of danger. The “ sense of obstacles " was, indeed, developed to such a degree that he uardly ever came in contact with what might be in the way. So jpleildidly developed, indeed, were bis senses oftouch, hearing and smell that he became quite proficient in the art of picking and packing flowers for market. He distinguished different blossoms partly by touch but chiefly by smell, and by asking questions got to know so much about their form and color that he could arrange them in a bouquet. He recognised the presence of strangers in the house chiefly by the sense of hearing, and it is said that he could discriminate persons whom he knew by the sound I .of their respiration, and was at once cognisant of any breathing with which he was unfamiliar. Dr Ramsay, however, was not content to let the man remain in darkness. Cataract was the obstacle to sight, and the surgeon operated on both eyes. For a week or so the patient showed no signs of seeing, but one day he exhibited signs of an intelligent appreciation of what vision meant, and from that time made rapid progress. The first thing. ha saw was a red blanket lying aoross the foot of his bed. He asked what it was, was told, and never afterwards did he* have the slightest hesitation in-dis-criminating red again. He was shown a narcissus, and on being askedto describe it immediately recognised the flower, and knew from his old bouquet-making experience that it was white and yellow, but for the first time' became aware of the little red band in the centre, and at once called attention to it. When shown a bunch' of daffodils he recognised them by their smell, and immediately said they must be yellow. One of the things that gave him peculiar pleasure was looking at the face of a watch. Within a day or two of bis having got the, loan of it, he astonished the doctor by announcing that he was able to tell the time. When asked how he learned so quickly, he explained that be did not understand the figures on the dial, but he had been told to count the hours, and that each space between the “ black marks ” meant five minutes. So far as can be judged, the patient’s eyesight will be entirely restored. His sensations on findinghimself in possession of a fifth sense after thirty years’ existence without it ought to be worth recording.