The Sun.
London, England, 1842-06-16 00:00:00

THE CURE OF BLINDNESS.

.(From the Literary Gliztite of June 11.).
' It has often been the province of this journal, dur-
ing more than the quarter of a century of it exist-
ence, and during a -period of unparalleled cultivation
• and p:ogress of almost every science, to lend its best
influeace towards the knowledge and success of dis-
coveri•?s which promised to promote the well-being of
mankind. Among other efforts of this description,
the Cure for Stammering, by Mr. Hunt, obtained its
warmest commendations ; and the result has at length
arrived :When, after a very few years' struggle, amid
all the conflicting .claims to mastery over this afflic-
tion, the simple and natural system of that gentle-
.. . man has been called into full practice ; and his pupils
from every part of the kingdom can bear viva voce
testimony to the entire efficacy of his instructions in
--' • •• removing the impediments to perfect speech;
To have a faculty improved or restored is of inap-
-.4i,• •lareciable value to man, and especially in all the prin-
,4oo.,Pip4l :professions and pursuits of civilised life; but
tab/-ev.en throughout all the grades of society the most
"3 &important events may hinge upon the possession or
non-possession of some common human power. Thus,
• the other•day, the very preservation of our young and.
lilt interesting- Queen did, to a certain extent, depend on
•tee;:-. the want of ready utterance in the boy Pearson, when
• a•
gitated by the threatened act of the assassin !* And
this has offered a remarkable illustration of the nature
••:-▪ "of the affection itself, and of the excellence of Mr.
Font's practice. Young Pearson has attended his
.lessons
since the event alluded to ; and with such
--effect,- that, when produced to give evidence on the
of Francis, we have no doubt in saying he will
he able to utter his testimony without the slightest
• • hesitation of any kind, or remaining disorder in the
..Organs of speechl-
A fact like this is preferable to volumes of testimo-
nials, however high, and of arguments, however well
VlPPorted ; but we have only adduced here for the
esteof introducing to notice another momentous
whicerh touching another sense, with experiments in
we last week felt it to be our duty to make
• - ourselves acquainted.
• Three weeks ago (Literary Gazette, 1322), in a
Notice to Correspondents, we mentioned that we had.
heard of Mr. (Dr.) Turnbull's Cure of Blindness
the Fumes of Prussic Acid, but had no perional
knowledge of the process ;" which notice immediately
Ptocttred us an invitation from Dr. Turnbull to wit-
.. • was the cases of several patients, from five or six to
tee- twenty years of age, who were under his treat-
. trent for this sad calamity. We accordingly attended;
• - and it is not easy to express our astonishment and
gratification at what we saw. The various stages of
cure, advanced in our presence, by the simple appli-
cation, .for about half a minute, or until a little warmth
was felt by the patient, of the vapour of hydrocyanic
acid, in a small phial, held up to the eye, with an
aperture fitting the form of that organ ; the various
nature of the diseases so assailed—opacities of the
• • t °l'nea, inflammation, cataract, amaurosis, irritis, &c.
• t; the various stages of relief which the patients
ad reached, with sometimes one eye opened to sight
and pleasurable to look upon, and the other left nearly
1.1,4140 and in its pristine deformity, to show what had
• "en achieved ; the various appearances of films re-
, 1116vittg, cataracts breaking up and being gradually
'teP:bsorbed, pupils being redeveloped, and other alto-
rether extraordinary symptoms of remedy and rep-
. neration filled us, we repeat, with wonder and de-
One child had been totally blind from six days old;
• dad been taught to read on the raised letters by the
,
•uateane system taught in the Blind School ; but it
mould now see these letters, and it was a curious pile-
-- tnenon to behold—could equally read them by
'ttelt and by sight 1! The only difference was a
. 81ligular alteration in the tone of voice and pronun-
ee'a!ion When reading in the two ways ; that by the
e 4, Ye being far more natural, and like the usual reading
to
4a.e we are accustomed, than the other, which
as r aono-onous and with an air of difficulty even
•
ti lie singular readiness acquired by this method.
of-
()dun- cases there were of the wonderful production
•
'4'iL-"e Power of vision to those born blind ; but we
Meet the ease of a girl twenty-two years of age, and
1,) a,erefore :fully capable to comprehend and to answer
4,1 ta
te',Y question put to her. In utter darkness for
n ir
• Tu years previously to her comming under Dr.
-treatment, she now can see her way, and
countenancesdistinguish and colours.
a more marked instance of the efficacy
1 -*loch cvotive process was exhibited in a young man,
' faarnthauc worked for many years at bookbinding. In-
':
Sze i„a,rn, and subsequent eminent treatment, lancing
•• tin; ID rendered him so totally blind, that for some,
:akt r and during the first two or three attend•
.isv_eeS fo the application of the prussic acid vapour, he
•
obliged to be led. But he told us, that now he
4Ai • Sul
d safely
dispense with such aid, and readily discern
Soon, we have little doubt, he will be re -
ACato his calling and to independence.
pother most interesting example of the value of
'-aktfe 4.otiscovery was that of a gentleman from Canada.
•151 had been afflicted in one eye with cataract and
• . tiklness for ten years. His remark to us was, that
Alvihs:ll he- first came to England he could not, with the
• -wit.,,a'sed eye, distinguish a cow from a horse. He now
it could mark and recognise countenances, and
ul
44,,,Aad appreciate the visible distinctions of a sovereign
thil_ a shilling. This he did in our presence, but much
'4,1,1;tr readily after the vapour of the highly concen-
h'„4';ilf,„...e4 acid had dilated the pupil,.and, to a certain
"e:ah-e6l-ee, even in the short space of time occupied by
th3.,action of the vapour, attenuated or dispersed the
~• IVY coats of the cataract.
• lity 4Ving witnessed and assured ourselves of the rea-
-40ur_ f these things, we sought the rationale, the
13,...`,T of the discovery, and the causes of the effects. -
ell Turnbull's answer was, that the datum which had
,kgaheested the first experiments to him was the aid_
apithe afforded in all cases of death from poisoning
1114
tirassic acid ; it was recorded, in every instance,
tlear ne eye of the corpse was observed for days as .
toeccand lucid as if still in life. This led him to
•,.1„ ge that the acid exerted a specific action on the
;,11,ae,h ::te argued that any medicament which produced
ltktow,r,. symptom after disease, must kossess certain
c: over the living subject ; and helentured upon
1)1E arse of investigation accordingly. The princi-
:''.4 somas sPeedily developed. The eye and all around
..-Ifell dilated and reddened. It was evident that the
VEiia-4,`etial blood rushed into the minutest fibres of the
''• taboi' and excited a strong action throughout the
Paispf the capillary processes. Not the slightest
- aro-•
• . q-%fq 'e ; a sedative influence appeared to be exer-
tuati_on the nerves of sensation, and even, if inflam-
,. 134,,:_n existed, it was rapidly removed. The eye,
thkriltvel; Presented all the symptoms of violent in-
' e•g, _ation, which is the truly natural curative pro-
, kattlr,)_etwithout the suffering of the struggle between
• . and srt and disease. The humours became quickly
ekse wlgniarlY active; by degrees the seat of the dis-
veither as assaulted, and a healthful tendency created,
• suPPly deficiencies or to remove obstruc-
cce..ae•oe repeating the applications the cures were
per -tio" 'first thought that suggested itself to us, having
Ilear o
t‘e; Nor, Th r clear relative so heavily afflicted, was the
on
11 girl. to the blessings of the faculty of vision of
• lable
‘:ry
11_ and much-beloved Prince. Painful opera-
as, th:ve been tried with little or no success. Here
eo dis
In, a treatment involving no suffering, entailing
(4.41t•-t;essing consequence, endangering no other
4
413,, eatulat. but, .to our 'conviction, ensuring relief and
t(34- Why not at once make known this dis-
lv,lkswer, ° the Prince of Hanover ?" we exclaimed. In
ae,l'evy tnowe were pleased to be informed that on that
hrning four gentlemen had witnessed the treat-
ad been
treat-
'let "tiers of the equally with us, delighted with the
4 of the
••.10 cure for thee hydrocyanic vapour, and with the hope
illustrious scion of our Royal Family.
Nressed 17,1, personallv intimate with the King, had
he had
ohsies intention 'forthwith to communicate what
Oe ' erred to Prince George of Hanover.
tights, what the results might be on old or short
• urnbull laughingly replied, that hydro-
lerleibd ttnaepheleul,d soon supersede spectacles ; it so al-
do t coup Pea the vision in either case,, that no
~cestoratio24. ezist of its applicability to their relief and
Be this as it may, we hesitate not strongly
411ind,end the wonderful discovery of the Cure for
thi Ihal it
t:t1:11:;t11?-nl°t been for the information conveyed from
al:42ll.Pay rson to Sir Peter Laurie, and by him
romunicated to the Court it is a fearful ro-
-41413i at the
to ride of e Queen would have perished. Top the
•le.• "e, ,equerries (Cols. Wylde and Arbuthnot),
is, Jest y,, side of the carriage so as to cover her
Lle "derPer3on " the Monday, we firmly believe it
ss nem Providence, owing that the nation have to
6.'en for the failuro of the assassin's blow.—
. , t NlThe_
'uati I uhe erliettvoured to tell Sir Peter Laurie what
44 After PPened, he
ipssonseould not utter a word ; and now,
We
• tutr,bling
ItitC,ii..B:Quehing ittve heard him repeat Mrs.
14; • the former attempt of Oxfotd,
ut a single syllable.—Ed. L. G.
,
f•, Grand
-1.11
50001. seasons) STAND AT A SCOT.—The receipts at
at„
1.1%,:,ur. The ridenewhich has now been opened to the public
691. Vs was as followrecel7
during the ra-e week amounted to upwards of
d for admission during the four
• 46/. ; Thursda 3: —Tuesday, 521/. 10.. ; Weenesday,
otfo.es, refre;huiag,gn7Z,Pn;
y (the eu d
tryea
the ; an 1) -3Y), 1,397/. ; and Fritiay,
:neatheidingf
230Arereived for
1 he
k: o'll. e
•• —and was openpd , o • •-a • !•-•
; the followi (in 1839) the receipts were
Bs. 'I he ereeting Year, 2,369/. 155. ; and last year,
"very NO shares of I was oumi leted at on outlay of
Whalere from the °°l' "aeb• Five shares are paid off
year a(afterei
tie'pdapunrcodt
41
of
I,e
rt.,. moneys received, so that the ear 1859
ehant,trsiztiya portior)), incr. a,..
gip?'
ftin,•;:tuearth to
•skb' th:)' will be
give
supraadeda to the rage und thus e-
eipeoss lor e
.t; iztm e the entriei of the very firsti i! o n
horsespr z prizes tn
tohebekirnugndofmor.
4 as iseet,'"lTC‘ltLE DlscovEßY.—ln Africa a discovery
11114, not fa
witieh.7,4 bY a single arreTirato.thßoussissi, of an ancient bridro.,
eprehrriebea:
Man; 57erecauran•oofnst.he nisedicili
rt0,..-s viol: • • "
•
-I°ll with that comports, n of the cement used in its'
,g„t a t found the rid, sof Ilippona, is
Uzi". "" utigetty of not 1
ea than thirteen or fourteen