Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1883-06-22
A NEW REFLECTOR
An Infant Whose Skull Reflects "a Brill
ant Light, Sufficient for It's Mother to
Read by as She Rocks the Baby to Sleep.

The most remarkable phenome
non yet, discovered in the history
of anatomy has come to light in New
York in the case of male infant,
26 months old. Though perfectly
healthy it's head is semi transparent,
and reflects with almost incredible
intensity the light of lamp, gas, or
any other Illuminating power that
may be placed near it. So strong is
this radiance that its head, when ex-
posed within full light of the sun,
will cast reflection similar in some
respects to a pinkish opalescence.
Several experiments were made.
The child was taken into darkened
room; lamp was held near the back
of its skull and the reflected light
was SO claar that through its fore
head the frontal division of the skull,
and the veins and arteries of the an
terror portion of the head We're dis
tinctly observable. Upon placing
the hand upon the forehead the in
FAINT felt no pain nor Inconvenience
of any kind, and as the lamp was
moved in various directions SO also
was the light reflected at an exactly
opposite angle.
Perhaps the most singular feature
OF this extraordinary case is that the
child's eyes are only partially OBJ
servable, the upper portion of the
pupils being alone distinguishable
Yet the infant sees plainly and notes
what is taking place. The reflection
already referred to is not merely con-
fined to the brain, but also applies to
the eye cells or sockets, two distinct
balls of light appearing visible under
Illuminating power.
The head of the child, from meas
urements taken by the reporter, is n
inches round the temples; from the
base of the forehead to the crown,
II inches; from ear to ear, measured
from the top of the head, 16 inches,
and from temple to temple, IL inches.
The infants weight is about thirty
five pounds. Its flesh is healthy
and firm, of good color and very
plump. It has a plentiful crop Of
beautiful golden hair, which is un-
usually heavy for SO young child.
In an interview with the mother,
Mrs Cannady said: MY baby was
born in Wayne county, West Vir
ginia. When about eight weeks old
1 first noticed the peculiar reflection
given from its head when light was
applied. At birth the top of the head
was perfectly fiat, but gradually de-
veloped in shape until it is now as
you see it. When seven months old
its head measurement was 17i inches,
but it has not grown any within the
past year. The power of refiec-
ton may be imagined, though you
may doubt my statement when l tell
you that its head being placed near
. calcium light through an illumina-
tion upon portion of q newspaper
strong enough to make the type per-
fectly distinguishable."
"Do you give it any special diet?"
mo. 1t will eat everything that
other children of its age usually eat,
such as vegetables, milk, meat and
eggs. Frankly is generally very
good tempered, and except that he is
scarcely strong enough to support
the weight of his head, he is in other
respects a remarkable strong child"
DR.. Piffard called to see the infant
phenomenon during the afternoon.
He pronounced the novelty to be a
case Of chronic hydrocephalus, only
one instance of the kind having been
recorded and that was in 1911. It is
absolutely the most wonderful freak
OF nature I ever saw" he remarked,
'and is simply case of an extraor
binary amount of water pressure,
which accounts for the reflection
What astonishes me is that the child
should be so perfectly free from any
other ailment I never saw anything
to equal it of the kind. but it is i'm
possible to say whether the infant
viii live many years. 1t is possible
that the size of the head may dimin-
ish, but whether it survives or not,
it is an extraordinary case|N. Y.
Mail.
An zc.,, ,sT,, vVo1,,o,-