The Arizona sentinel., 1886-07-17
EYES FOR TAE BLIND.

The news Of Dr. Mays experiments
 in the transplantavion of eyes is of in-
 crest to-the blind Dr, May has sue
 eeeded in removing the eye Of 8 rabbit
 and planting 1t in the eye socket of an
 bother rabbit so skillfuliy that after a
 few days the musculsr fragments of the
 optic nerve united At lerst, so he
 says. What can be dine with rabbits
 eyes can likewise be done with the hu
 man eye. All that 8 person who has
 had. the misfortune to lose an eye will hase to do will be to find some chan who will sell him an eye; surgeon will effect the necessary transfer, and the one-eyed will resnme his binocuar aspect. True, eyes are not an ordinary article of merchandise There IS an old quotation of "Jewess eye;' cats eyes have Q regular market price; the late Khan of Khiva, in his playful mo- ments, used to permit his captires to redeem their eyes from tho searing iron on payment of set sum. In China, 1t is said, affectionate fathers of families will agree for given sum to take the place of criminal condemned to death and as the greater cont aims the less, he who would sell his life would probably also sell his eye. But 1t would be awk- ward to have one almond-shaped eye and one blue Anglo Saxon orb Dr.. May evidently fears that the visible supply of human eyes in the market will fall short of the demand, and he proposes to substitute rabbits eyes in stead.
 A race in which the fashion of east ing sheep's eyes has always prevailed will have no compunction at borrowing eyes from the rabbit Possibly, how ever, it may be necessary to restrict the luxury to the male sex. Grating blends the nature of the graft with the parent stock. and as it Is known that 8 pair of rabbits, if unmolested, will produce progeny of 1000, ,0O0 in four years, the results of rabbit grating up on the female sex of our species might prove alarming. The labor market might be unable to stand it. It is doubtful whether rabbits eye planted in human head could acquire expres sion. One cannot fancy it an eye like Mars to threaten and command, or an eye so pure and honest that the soul shines through it, or an eye that could send fair speeches. messages, much less an eye that was the home of silent pra- yer. Without meaning to be disres- pectful to species with which it seems ---------- -heee--se--o,,naetAA- a-tie of blood, we must say that the rabbit eye is goggle.
 Dr. May declares that his rabbit eyes will answer every purpose but one-they will be sightless. They will be even worse of than Beatrice, who had good eye, and could see a church by daylight. But tn ere is a limit to science. Science can make an arti6 cial leg that will walk; can graft skin that will grow; can transfuse blood that will circulate through heart and arte r1es; can teach tissue to do duty as q bone; can plant an eye that will ad- here and take up blood from the sys- tenn; but when 1t comes to the vital spark, the imperceptible, intangible connecting link between body and soul, l between the retina of the eye and the retina of the mind, science is as help | less as wax doll Until some mo dern philosopher can solve the problem which Mrs. Shelley feigned to solve in ''Frankenstein," and which the gods settled for Pygmallon's benefit, grafted eyes must ever stare in endless sight, l and poor humanity must rest content [ for the propagation of the essence of fife with the processes which nature has kindly provided. -Chrcnicie.-