Volume 1

The lost senses / By John Kitto.

  • Kitto, John, 1804-1854.
Date:
1845
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The lost senses / By John Kitto. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    fruit. The accumulation of images by which he strives to answer, “ What is God ?” suggests merely the series of material comparisons by which he had been at different times taught or had striven to realize an idea of God. Many of these images, however satisfactory to him, and striking to us, are really vague and indistinct, and indicate only the dim shadow of an idea. “ The soul of eternity,” “ the eye of justice,” &c., are of this kind. In fact, these admired answers seem to us to afford painful evidence of the labour and contri- vance which even such a man as Massieu had to employ in affixing ideas to words. It was obvi- ously an intellectual exercise in which he took pleasure; and this bore him on to the success which he eventually achieved, and which few others can be expected to attain. The traces of this process of intellection in his answers, give to them a kind of misty grandeur, well calculated to engage attention and to excite admiration. It has been the intention of this chapter chiefly to produce such facts concerning the state of the deaf as have not been embodied in my own experience: and as the largest portion of such facts are contained in the account which Massieu has given of himself, his case has been exhibited in some detail. A few other circumstances, tending to illustrate the pecu- liar notions and condition of the deaf-mutes may here be added from other sources ; and will suitably conclude the present volume. Massieu’s idea of hearing as “ auricular sight” has already been examined : and it has been shown