Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1825-09-22

The Boston Medical Intelligencer
contains particular description of a
remarkable hlsus nature, furnished to
the editor of that paper by DR.. Tho
mas Close, Of New-York, a part of
which we copy. 1t was a female child
which survived its birth but three
quarters Of an hour, during which time
it uttered feeble cries.
Ats body and limbs were Of the full
size, and well proportional; its head
was very small its mouth small, and
lips prominent; the nose was entirely
wanting; nor was there the slightest
mark to designate its usual place. Its
respiration was difficult, in sound pre-
cisely like that occasioned by an OBJ
struction Of the usual passages. But
the most singular circumstance attend
ing this freak Of nature, was in the
structure of the organ of vision; as if
attempting to realize the fable of the
Cyclops. Exactly in the middle of the
base of the forehead was placed sim
gle eye-ball! 1t was of an oval form,
and Of at least twice the usual size
Its whole anterior surface was naked,
being entirely destitute Of eye-Iids, and
displaying the uniform white color of
the conlunctiva: it seemed immoyably
fixed in it's socket. There were no
eyebrows; the superciliary ridge of
the frontal bone could not be traced !;
nor was there any thing to designate
the usual situation of the eyes. To-
wards the two extremes Of this ellipti-
cal eye-ball. and nearly three-fourths of
an inch asunder, were seen two pupils,
about the tenth Of an inch in diameter.
They appeared like two small holes
perforating the opake coats Of the eye,
and seemed destitute Of any thing like
the iris. The edges Of the integu-
ments surrounding this wonderful eye,
terminated abruptly, displaying the
lively red color of the inner surface Of
The eye-lids, and giving an appearance
as though the eye-lids had been recent.
ly cut away. This opening in the in
teguments was elliptical, correspond
ing in size and shape with the eye-ball,
except on the upper side, where it ran
up the forehead in triangular notch
exactly over the centre OF the eye
At the termination OF this notch arose
4 slender papille Of skin, of the thick
ness Of quill, and half an inch long,
which hung dropping over the eye"
The last annual obituary Of the Rus
sian empire, published at St. Peters
burgh, records the death of a man at
the very advanced age Of los, (Old
Parr was 1872, near to Pollosk, on the
frontiers of Livonia. He had seen Sc
ven Sovereigns on the throne of Rus
STA, and remembered the death of Gus
tavus Adolphus. He had been a SOL
der in the thirty years war; at the
battle Of Pultowa Gin 1907 he was 81
years Of age. At the age Of 90, he
married his third wife, with whom he
lived 50 years; the two youngest sons
of this marriage were sc and 81 re-
} spectively in the year 1896; the oldest
of his other sons, in the same year,
were s5 and IS respectively. The en-
tire family Of this patriarch comprises
lSS descendants, who all lived together
in the village of Pollatzka, which the
Empress Catharine the Second caused
to be built for them, granting at the
same time a considerable tract Of land
for their support, In the l6sd year OF
his age, this modern Nestor was in the
enjoyment Of the most robust health.