Evening journal., 1900-02-24
A Physician Who Claims to
Give Artificial Sight.
RAYSFOCUSSEDO ON BRAIN
He Is Also Planning to make the Deaf
Hear by Electricity.
Or. stiens Is a Russian Scientist and
He Has Done Some Wonderful
Things, Yet His Experiments Are
Not Completed.

Mention has been made in the cables
from London OF an invention BY which
Dr. Peter Stiens. a Russian scientist.
claims to be able TO make the blind
see. According 20 several OF the Eng
lish papers to hand, Dr. Stiens has ap-
piled his invention to a number Of
blind persons. who have thereby been
able TO see light and the shape Of OBJ
jects around them.
Understand me clearly" said the
inventor to a correspondent Of tho
Daily News, OF London. Il do not
claim and do not attempt 10 restore
sight, as restoration Is understood.
give artificial sight, and it makes no
difference whether the person was
born without eyes, whether the eyes
have wholly or partially been de-
stroyed since berth. or how the sight
has gone. My experiments are not
completed. I have yet much to do, but
the results are all that I have antiei-
pated so far. Greater things viii come.
but the sight is already given"
Mr.. Suens' principle is that he sup
plies a substitute for the lens OF the
eye by the aid of electricity Immediate
~ his apparatus IS brought into con-
tact with the body OF the individual.
MY appartus wi1." he said. ''as in
the camera, focus the rays Of light
from the object 70 the brain. and sight
IS given, the objects being clearly seen,
not inverted. but in their proper form.
My apparatus constitutes substitute
for the lens"
Mr.. Stiens asked the reporter wheth-
er ne would like 10 test his apparatus.
Naturally the answer was "Yes," and
this IS what followed. The reporter
was taken by the inventor into a small
4 room, and then blindfolded effectually.
'I could" he writes ''see absolutely
nothing. Matches and candles were
lighted before me. but 1 could not see
them. Then ] was connected with his
apparatus. I felt "a slight sensation OF
electrical current passing through my
. body. Then quickly the darkness
passed away a dun gray took its
: place and was succeeded by "a light
clear and bright. / saw fingers held up
before me, and n disc that looked like
a coin. And when I was disconnected
from the apparatus ] found was
: standing just where / was when my
I eyes were bandaged. Mr. Stiens had
been by my side an the time, and there
was no one else present. Mr. stiens ap-
peared 10 be as delighted as 7 was sur
prised at theTesult.
[ LET it be borne in mind that my
eyesight is perfect. At any rate, 1 be-
lieve so. But my eyes had been COM
. pletely blindfolded, and all was abso-
Lutte blackness TIL the connection with
the apparatus took place.
THE inventor would not permit me
!. 20 examine the apparatus patents for
< which have not vet been applied for.
hTnff
: precise character Of his invention OF
q the means employed to achieve such
results.
Here is my invention said Mr..
Stiens. Tt does not matter what 1
j have done in the past. and / need not
: now describe the electrical inventions
Of mine which are now being used
largely, especially in Germany, Rus
sia and other Continental countries. I
say I can do what 1 assert. The thing
is, can I do It or not? make my
claim, and II Is for me to give the
I proof. You can judge from what you
: have seen to-day something Of the ma
ture OF my assertions
!, In reply to questions, Mr.. Stiens said
the complete apparatus would be
: made in such form as to make it easy
: for a person TO carry it about so as
! to place this artificially given sight
at the individuals disposition for the
ordinary practical purposes Of ufa
Z Spectacles, he added would be quite
unnecessary. $50 long as the receiving
Z part-the brain-is there. my appart-
tus." he smilingiy added "will 40 the
p rest. The rays Of light strike my ap-
paratus instead Of the eyes and pass
thence TO the brain. the real camera.
q And the apparatus will be effective
< carried anywhere. so long as it is con-
4 nected with the body, the nearer the
q brain the better"
o With a Central News reporter Mr
q Stiens performed this novel expert
, ment.-
I stand before this wooden partition. o
( said Mr.. Stiens. The reporter did so
staring at blank expanse of wood. hi.
eyes about six inches from II. Mr
Stiens blindfolded him and applied the
electrical apparatus The reporter
5 could see the white light i'm front ol
q him as before.
0 There" observed Mr.. Stiens, wher
he had unbandagod the reporters eyes
T ''You didn't see that light through ths
; wood with your eyes-you saw il n.
d rectly with your brain"
n Mr.. Stiens is also engaged on ar
electrical apparatus by means Of whicf
he declares that deaf persons will bs
made to hear perfectly. He explain.
his plan in this way
= You know that II the drum, or tym.
L panic membrane. is at fault, and tn,
small bones-viz., the incus. malleu.
u and stapes-are present. people are en-.
= abled TO hear by means of plugs pui
II into the ears; in fact, the plug 1.
: called a false drum. Now with my an.
paratus (when the membrane and ths
bones are at fault hearing win be Civ.
en- by the application OF the appara.
q tus to the surface of the body. Tn,
body is a good conductor of the cleo
b trio current and when the apparatu,
s. Is in use at one end the person wish.
ing 70 speak to the deaf speaks int,
v the apparatus. the vibrations are car
q ried through to the person being spok.
an to- and thence by nerves to tn,
resonating chamber, and so along tn,
austaphian tube TO the auditory nerve
which conveys the sound to the centr,
u II hearing in the brain"
Asked If the auditory nerve was al
q FAULT. what then? ATr. stens said an,