The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1805-08-13

analytical defcrp,son Of the cafe which ph, ican,
as highly sfleen,ed for his genius and l in obferva-
ton. for his profound knowledge in the diieafes Of
the mind. read to learned focie,y, to which had
the honou, of being admitted
Beginning with an account OF the fenforial functions
of the young favage, Citizen Pinel reprefented to Us
his enies in fueh Rate Of inertia that this unfor-
tunate youth was ionnd according his report, very
iniesior to fome of our don,eltic animals His ewes
were without tteadnels,. without expire cn, wander
ing from one object to another, without fixing upon
any thing 70 little inlruGfed in ether refpeels, and
TO little experienced in the fene Of toush that he was
unable to diiiinguih between an Object in relief and
painting the organ Of hearing was alike infenfibe to
the loudeh noiies and to the moi charming nufic !:
that OF the voice Gill more Imperfect, utteriny on
ly cultural and uniform found his fenie of fneli
was 10 little cultivated, that he feeed to be equally
indifferent to the odour of the nen perfumes and to
the mo fetid exha!atons finally, the fenfe of feel
ing was limited TO thofe mechanical functions which
aroie fsom the dread Of obeas which might be in his
way.
Proceeding TO the rate Of the intellectual faeultie.
OF this child, the author of the report exhibited him
to incapable of attention (unles as it refpsed
the objes of his wants and consequently of all the
operations Of the mind which depended upon it def.
ttute OF memory, Judgment, of difpoiition
TO imitation and 70 bounded were his ideas even
thoie which related to his immediate wants. that he
could not open door, get chair to obtain the
food winch was put out of the reach Of his hand in
IN 1T, deititnte of every of communication at
taehing neither exprelon intention to the geures
and motions of his body, paing with rapdity, and
without any apparent motive, from fate Of profound
melancholy, to burlts Of the mott mmoderate laugh
ter inienibe 70 every fpecies of moral afe4 on his
dicernment was excited but by the ffimuus of
glnttony his reaure, agreeable fenfation of the
organs of tate; his intelligence, fuceptibiity of
producing incoherent ideas connected with his ply
iieal wants. in word, his whole exitence was Life
purely animal.
reduced to Ave principal heads the moral treat
ment or education of the Savage of Aveyron My
I objects were,
lit. To attach him to focal life, by rendering it
plealans to him than that which he was then lea
ding, and, above all, analogous to the mode of
exiltence that he was about to quit.
| I'd To awaken the nervous fenfibility by the moR
energetic iin,ulsnts, G. fonetines by lively affection
Of the mind.
Sd. To extend the iphere of his ideas, by giving
him new wants. and by ncreaiing the number of his
relations to the obje6s surrounding him.
4th To lead him to the ufe fipeech by fubeefing
| him to the cedity of imitation.
5,h. To exeroiie frequently the moi fmple opera.
tions Of the mind upon the objects Of his phy6cal
wants. and, at ZENITH, by inducing the application of
them to objects of Instruction. II.
into foe fetaions, in conformity to this general di-
viiion; each fecton containing an account of the
experiments which were made To accomplish each
of thoie o5jet9s. From the fecond feeton, which
delcrbes the moi interefing and the mott effeetu-
alexperiments that Were made upon the Savage
of Aveyron, have felected the following OFFER
vations
MY fecond objea was TO a4eoken tie n,vous EnG-
lilly BY toe ,usf foqveytH EEiants, and ouetimes BY
ivt!y e6'ft7i0ns efAe mind.
Some modern phylologiGs have prefumed, that FEM
5ility in exact proportion the degree Of civlza-
;ion do not think that ironger proof can be CIV
en- in favour of this opinion than the fnall degree of
enibty in the ienforia organs, which was obierva-
bic IN the cafe Of the Savagt Of A1ey,on. We may be
perfectly iatistied, merely by eating eyes over
the DESCRIPTION that have already exhibited, and
which is founded facts that have derived from the
mott authentic fources. lhall here add in conneefi-
on with the fame fubjea, fone of my own moi in
sereitng and important obiervations.
Frequently, during the courfe of the winter, have
feen him, whit he amufng himielf in the gar
den belonging the afylum of the Deaf and Dumb,
fuddenly quat down, half Naked on the wet turf &
remain expofed in this way, for hours together to
wind and rain 1t was not only to the cold, but alto
to the moi violent heat, that his kin, and fene of
touch, ihewed no kind cf fenhbility. 1t frequently
happened, when he the fire, and live Goals
have fallen cut of the CRATE tina, he matched them up
and threw them back again with the mot perfect m
difference. We have more than once found him in
the kitchen taking away in the fame manner, pota-
toes out of the boiling wafer, and know that he had
at that time, ftn of very fine and delicate texture
have often given him large quantities of fnu with
out exciting any difpoGtion fueeze; which is
perfect proof, that in this cafe there did not exit be-
tween the organ of fnell, and thofe of relpra,on &
light, that kind of fympathy which is apt to induce
either freezing, the fecretion of tears This laR
fymPtom was hill leis liable than the other to be
produced By painful afIe efons of the mind; and in
iPite OF numberlefs conradaions in fpite of the f.
we're and apparently cruel caiures made ufe Of eff
Pseiay during the frit months OF his new life ne
yer once caught him in the aa Of NEEDING tears.
Ofall his fenfe. his ear feemed to be the mott COM
Pleteiy nfenhble. Bot it was remarkable that the
noife oceafioned by the cracking of walnut, fruit
Of which he wac particularly fond, never failed to a.
wasen hisattention. The truth of this obfervation
may be depended upon and yet this very organ be-
trayed an inie;hbity to- the loudeR NOTES., to the
eIPloiions, for DGanee, of firearms one day fired
two Pitto'o elofe by his the fire. produced fome
emotion, but the fecond merely made him turn his
head with apparent indifference.
Thus in feleaing fome fuch cafe, as this, in which
the defect OF attention. the part Of the mind, might
appear Ike want Of feDfibty in the particular or
1an ~ r.