Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1896-11-27
THE BLIND MADE TO SEE.

dEI DLlND VI hDE ] " SEE.
DR.. Heber Robsrts conducted Sc
ries of interesting experiments with X
rays in ST. Louis, Mo, on Tuesday, at
his office, with a view to aacertaining
whether the blind may be able to see
by the aid OF N-rays. The fact that DIR.
Robarts intended to conduct expert
ments of this sort bad been publicly
announced, and there were forty sight
less persons at his Office Among them
were several pupils from the State
Blind Asylum. These, and the various
fo"ms OF disease or accident which
caused loss of sight, afforded DR.. Ro.
barts ample opportunity for his tests.
The doctor considers that be made
the most extensive and thorough test
that has ever been made in this line.
He is highly gratified with the result Of
the exp riments, and said after finish
ing the tests that they had been a sue
cess beyond his expectations.
Persons who had no recollection Of
ever seeing light or anything else
were able to distinguished shadows
and trace the outlines of objects held
before them. Even persons whose eye
balls were missing were able to dis
tinguish objects with clearness that
surprised the experimeuter. In some
cases, however, no impression was
made on the senses of the patients.
The apparatus used was the Nicola
Tesla compound apparatus, machine
weighing about five hundred pounds.
This is attached to the wire OF an Or
binary incandescent house electric
light, the current being multiplied by
the apparatus. The tube through
which the rays are presented to the
senses of the afflicted person is known
as the Horoscope. 1t is held to the
head of the sightless person, either in
front, before the useless eyeballs or
socket; in the case of persons whose
eyeballs are gone, at the side of the
head, and then at the back of the head.
In many cases the experience of the
subject was similar to that of child
taking his first object lesson, and DR..
Robarts says that if the apparatus is
made available to such persons, they
will have to be taught as children.
One interesting cast was that of Wal
ter Kelley, twenty-siX years old, whose
sight had been destroyed through lyc
being thrown into his eyes. This
caused inflammation, resulting in the
lids uniting firmly with the globes, and
he had not seen light for ten years
The apparatus was applied, and letters
made of lead, and about an inch long,
were held before him. He was able to
distinguish the object, but could no
name the letter.
Another case was that Of Patricl:
Moran, seventy-siX years old, who had
not seen anything for thirty years. His
eyeballs had been totally destroyed. A
plate of lead was moved back and forth
over the Horoscope, when he eXclam-
ed, 81 see. u The object appeared to
him as mere shadow, but he was ab
to tell lis form. Still another case was
that of Miss kittie Helmke, teacher in
the Missouri School for the Blind,
twenty-four years old, who had no recol-
lection OF ever having seen anything.
She was able to distinguish shadows but
could not describe the form of objects
placed before her. DR.. Robarts thinks
that the apparatus may be developed
TO degree that will enable blind per-
sons to see objects with a considerable
degree of clearness; also, that it
may be simpliiied so as to be
more readily adapted to their use.
From the experiments he adduced tina
the retina of the eye is not the actual
point of contact at which an object is
presented to the senses of the behold
er, but that it is mirror, which might
be replaced by an artificial one, in case
other portions OF the eyeball remain in
tact. He contends that by the use Of
the N-rays the object, light or shadow,
is presently directly TO the corpora
qudra ge-mina, or germ of sight, locat-
ed between the cerebrum and cerebel-
lun; on line with the eyes, but near
er to the posterior wall of the skull
than to the face. This conclusion that
the retina is simply mirror is directly
at variance with all works on physi-
ology, he says, even the latest of which
will teach that the retina receives the
impression of the object, as does the
prepared plate of q camera. Further
experiments are to be made by DR..
Robarts.