Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1916-06-28
blind SPOT" MAY
CAUSEAUTOA ACCIDENTS
COLLISIONS COULD OCCUR WITH
OUT ANYONE BEING TO
BLAME"
milwaukee JOurnal.)


Everybody is blind in both eyes at
definite spots. These blind spots are
the places in the seeing part-the re-
tina-or the eyebaIl wall paper, where
the optic nerve enters" write DR..
Leonard Keene Hirshberg Of Johns
Hopinks university.
"The eyeball is like a cup and
ball. That is to say, it is ball at the
end Of thick rope. The rope is the
bundle Of cable called the optic nerve,
which spreads out fan-shape inside the
back wall of the eye as a covering Of
rods and tops called the retina.
"The retina is the delicate covering
of the interior of the eyeball which
holds the impression and the picture
Of what the eye sees. The retina may
be compared to stationary film of
moving camera, the eyeball differing
in it's operation from motion picture
camera in that the eyeball moves
around instead of the film, and that it
constantly and instantaneously de-
velops it's own pictures and forever
renews itself.
"The eye perceives most things,
when you pay attention to the reali-
ties around, but despite your best at
tention the most resourceful person
with perfect eyes is blind to things
which fall upon the spot in the retina
where the optic nerve enters it.
'Apparations, ghosts, spirits and
alleged Pigments of the imagination
are often illusions caused by mix
up of the blind spot of one eye and
the visual part of the retina of the
other.
Indeed, the blind spot is so large in
focus that the head of man or even
the head Of an eagle or cat at dis
lance of six feet or SO will fall upon
it and be absolutely unseen. Indeed,
you will honestly swear as a witness
in court that there was no such
thing present. Yet it is there as large
as the moon seems.
DR.. Edna B. Dayton, an investiga-
tor of distinction, carried out success
full experiments last year with sub
jects in rapidly moving automobiles,
which prove that areas as large almost
as % square feet; spaces feet high
and 4 2-3 feet wide in the broadest
part, to person riding in an automo-
bile, aeroplane or other rapidly NOV
ing vehicle will appear to be absolute
ly empty and void to the drivers eye
on that side.
In fine, many accidents are thus ac-
counted for by DR.. Dayton. The chauf-
feur, driving at the speed of % to 80
miles an hour in a straightaway
stretch of road, meeting anybody or
anything, even the wheel or part of
another automobile, whose drivers
blind spot might simultaneously en-
counter the others, could have col
lision for which each would be guilt
less.
The discovery by DR.. Dayton is not
at all startling. 1t is rather curious
that psychologists had not previously
thought to make such experiments to
bring to light the fact that rays of
light from anything which might fall
upon the eyes blind spot will pro-
duce no perception of that objects
existence. Not only most laymen, but
many doctors are unaware or have
wholly forgotten that they may be
ever so resourceful, ever so truthful,
ever so honest in their purpose to tell
what is round about and yet say ex-
actly what is not so because of the
blind spot.
The way to make up for this normal
blindness in everybody's eyes is to
keep your eyes more in motion than
the automobile driver usually does.
A chauffeur should not keep a fixed
stare ahead on the road.
Moreover, each auto owner and each
chauffeur should visit an experimental
laboratory of psychology in some uni
versity, and become familiar precisely
with his own blind area. Then by
small movement of the eyes the pos
sibly unseen areas which might fall
upon the blind spots are almost GER
tain to fall upon the seeing parts of
Il,