Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-12-10
1EACH|NGADU[T TO SEE
An Interesting Scientific Test
Is Being Conducted at the
State University
GIRL BLIND ALL OF HER LIFE
Young Woman Suddenly Given the
Ability to See Has Strange Notions
Of Most Commonplace Things-Some
of Her Peculiar Illusions - General
News Of State.

Iowa City, Dec. 1O.-A blind girl who
acquired her sight thru an operation
when she was 20 years of age. Is being
tested in the psychological laboratory
at the state university.
Those who have been studying her
case believe that they have succeeded
for the first time in teaching binocular
vision to an adult. The current opin-
ion Of the medical profession is that
the ability to see an object as single
while using both eyes must be attained
early in life or not at all.
From the time of the ChesselHen
cnse in 1928, when the operation for
cataract came into use, only six other
instances are recorded In the psychol-
ogical literature, in which people born
with complete cataracts In both eyes
received their sight after reaching ma
turity The present case Is the first
to be studied in a psychological labor
atory in this country. The operation
known as needing Of the lens was
performed by DIR. Lee Wallace Dean.
professor Of opthalmology, at the
State University of Iowa. and surgeon
for the state school for the blind.
The training by which the young
woman was taught binocular vision
was conducted by DIR. James Burt Min
or. instructor in philosophy, who has
been making the psychological exam
ination. Although she at first used on
ly one eye to see with, just as all
cross-eyed people do, she has now
learned to see views thru the stereo-
scope with both eyes. The two pict-
lures OF the stereoscope view are COM
bined by her into one picture seen In
relief, the same as they are by a per-
son with normal sight. These obser-
vations have been carefully tested and
are corroborated by DR.. Carl e. Sea-
shore, professor Of psychology at the
university.
The investigation touches the inter-
esting question propounded two hum
bred years ago by Molyneux to Locke
as to whether a person born blind and
acquiring vision in adult life could dis
tinguish a cube from sphere with
out touching them. Except for her
touch and hearing experiences. gained
at the school for the blind, this young
woman was In the same position as IL
baby so far as understanding what she
saw. The experiments give much val
liable and curious information as to the
way people learn to see.
Experience with the opera glass and
telescope were especially unique to her.
With the opera glasses reversed she
had great difficulty in understanding
how the little people she saw could be
human at all. The morning after she
looked thru the telescope she anxiously
inquired If other people could see the
points Of the stars. She seemed quite
worried because she had been unable
to see the points, which her previous
touch experience had indicated were to
be found on the stars.
A month ago drawings meant prac-
tically nothing to her. She had no idea
of perspective from the lines. An out
line picture Of box did not even sug-
gest the object. Now she Is not only
able to see the box In perspective, but
she can reverse the figure just as those
with normal vision do. Faces are still
a puzzle to her. She thinks she recog-
nizes only four people by the features
when she sees them.
In respect to color vision, somewhat
to the surprise Of the investigators, the
twenty-five years Of disuse has appar-
entity caused no degeneration. She can
discriminate colors as well as other
people, and can even see tints 30 near
white that the average person probao-
" would not see any color. Tests have
also been made upon her hearing and
touch to see whether they have been
Increased In power thru the disuse OF
sight.
In the report Of the case recently
made by Dr. Miner at Chicago meet
ing of the American Psychological As
ISOLATION he described her reversal OF
the ordinary condition by which black
and white objects of the same size APP
pear different. With her 1t Is the
black object, instead Of the white, that
appears larger, There Is some indi-
cation, however. that she at times gets
this Illusion normally.
The investigation is still going on. A
preliminary report will be published in
the January valume OF the psychologi-
90, studias ia he issued from the state