Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-05-14
r TELEN KELLER is the worlds
most famous deaf and blind


most famous deaf and blind
woman. Enrico Caruso is
The worlds most famous tenor
singer.
When the newspapers the other
Gay reported that Helen Keller had
put her fingers 10 the lips and
throat OF The great Caruso during
the metropolitan Opera Company
recent engagement in Atlanta. and
had heard him sing the Lament of
Samson" from the opera. Samson
and Delilah"-the New York ear
specialists shook their heads.
Through the medium Of her mar
velous fingers the matchlcss voice
of the great tenor was said to have
been transmitted to her soul-;his,
the experts say. is impossible.
With her sightless eyes. wet with
tears. she listened and declared she
heard the melody. and whispered
over and over again. ''Wonderful.
Wonderful." But the scientists
assert with positiveness tina, this
was a deusiOn.
When Miss Keller. overpowered
with emotion. almost collapsed at
the effect Of The great tenor's
roice-this, the specialists declare,
was simply the result Of over
wrought emotion. and not caused
by any melody which entered the
brain Of the deaf girl.
Exactly what Helen Keller imag.
ined she heard through her finger
tips cannot be very definitely ey-
planned by the New York special.
isis. But in general way il may
he said that the vibrations of the
lips and throat on the supersensi-
tive nerves OF the blind womans
fingers produced emotional images.
but not any true conception OF
sound, no conception OF melody.
tone or pitch of Caruso's voice.
The connection between the vi.
bratinE lips and throat of the
singer. it was pointed out, and the
deaf mute's aural mechanism was
entirely 100 remote. These vibra-
lions which Miss Keller felt with
her fingers had TO travel up her
arm 10 the shoulder, through the
collarbone and its connecting car
tiiages and, encountering soft it's
sues on its travels, passed OH 10
the bony structure surrounding the
car cavity Of the skull
F., Scientific Analysis
IF the Facts.
No such vibrations passing along
such route G6uld survive 10 reach
the skull as sound or music waves.
They would be absorbed by the
cartilages and softer tissues.
II you put your finger on the Vi
brating hood OF an automobile your
brain will record through your fin.
ger tips and connecting nerves the
vibrations. But your brain will
gather no impression AS 10 the
noise made by the engine. Helen
Keller, therefore, no matter how
highly organized were the finger
nerves, could not hear Caruso's
song i'll any such way Nobody.
whether with ears or withou: ears,
4 much more efficient test, it
was explained. might have been
made in different way. Every
body understands that a vibrating
tuning fork which makes no audi.
bic noise can be heard if it, is
Tlaced between the teeth. This is
caused by the direct vibrations
which travel along The bones OF
the skull 10 the ear cavity and
agitate the delicate mechanism OF
the ear.
If Caruso had pressed the centre
OF his forehead, az the point where
u joins the bridge Of the nose and
contains the resonatinE chambers
of his vocal apparatus. agains,
Helen kellers jaw. there would
have been q direct circuit for Inc
course Of Inc vibrations.
In this way the vibrating bones
OF Caruso's head nigh, transmit
The sound vibrations along Miss
hcllers jaw through the close mas.
told connection direct TO her auraI
cavity. BY this means tho yibra.
tons OF his voice might. theoreti.
caiiy, have reached the hearing
centre of the brain. Possibly. then
she might have actually heard
Caruso's voice.
But this is not what was done
Not understanding the priucjnlos
Of physics and physiology which
apply. the effort was made 10 carry
the vibrations Of Caruso's vnica
through The soft tissues of Mj.s
kelleT's fingers and arm
1T is also pointed out tina; vibra
tons varying in volume and lnten.