The Continuation of the Narrative of Miss Margaret M'Avoy's Case: With General Observations Upon the Case Itself; Upon Her Peculiar Powers of Distinguishing Colours, Reading &c. Through the Medium of Her Fingers

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Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy, 1820 - 314 pages
 

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Page 165 - That no testimony is sufficient to establish a miracle, unless the testimony be of such a kind, that its falsehood would be more miraculous than the fact which it endeavours to establish...
Page 110 - I should rather say, if it was not correctly executed, he would show no sensation of pleasure. But the most extraordinary circumstance in this case is, that he was most evidently delighted with those passages in which the composer displayed his science in modulating his different keys.
Page 238 - ... she moved the lens gradually towards the book, she at length perceived the letters, but observed that they were very small. She could not read easily until the glass was laid on the paper. EXPER. X. — She read common print by feeling on the upper surface of a piece of common window glass held 12 inches from the book. At a greater distance she could not read ; but could read much easier when the glass was brought nearer to the book.
Page 109 - It will scarcely be credited that a person thus circumstanced should be fond of music ; but this was the fact in the case of Mr. Arrowsmith. He was at a gentleman's glee club, of which I was president at that time, and, as the glees were sung, he would place himself near some article of wooden furniture, or a partition, door or...
Page 142 - They betray themselves who are too quick of apprehension in such cases, and leave all reasonable men to imagine worse of them, than of the poet.
Page 236 - ... her hands and fingers. She marked the moments when the colours became faint, and again vivid, by the occasional passage of a cloud. On one occasion she observed that there was something black upon her hand ; but perceiving it to move, she said it was the shadow of her own fingers, which was correct. The prismatic colours have afforded her the greatest pleasure which she has experienced since her blindness ; the violet rays were the least pleasant. She never saw a prism in her life. EXPER. V....
Page 237 - ... letters. She next read through a convex lens at the distance of nine inches from the book. The principal focal length of the lens is 14 inches. While reading, she gently rubs the upper surface of the lens with the tips of her fingers ; she reads much easier through the lens than without it ; she says the letters appear larger, and as if they were printed on the glass. A penknife was laid on the line which she was reading, and she immediately perceived and named it. EXPER. IX. — A concave lens...
Page 110 - Ye spotted snakes," from Shakspeare's Midsummer Night's Dream. In the second stanza, on the words, " Weaving spiders come not here," there is some modulation of the kind above alluded to, and here Mr. Arrowsmith would be in raptures, such as would not be exceeded by any one who was in immediate possession of the sense of hearing.
Page 193 - Thomas, and took considerable pains in examining her eyes, but we found little or no alteration in their general appearance, except that the pupil was not quite so much dilated as before; but the light of a candle appeared to have no influence upon it. We found her father's account very accurate, and that she really could read by the Application of the finger to the letters with considerable fluency. As it was probable any other person, who had not the same opportunity of judging with Mr. Thomas...
Page 193 - We found her father's account very accurate, and that she really could read by the application of the finger to the letters with considerable fluency. As it was probable any other person who had not the same opportunity of judging with Mr. Thomas and me, might think it possible she could see, I thought it right to bind something over the eyes, and I made use of a Manchester cotton shawl which went twice round the head, crossed at the eyes, and was tied at the back of the head as firmly as she could...

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