Lachesis Lapponica; Or, A Tour in Lapland, Volume 1Linné, Carl von
History
Lachesis Lapponica; Or, A Tour in Lapland, Volume 1
Linné, Carl von
Lapland -- Description and travel; Natural history -- Lapland
The people brought me a peasant's daughter, a year and half old, who was
deprived of sight, requesting me to say whether her complaint was a
cataract. Finding the eyes well formed, without any unusual appearance,
and quite free from specks or clouds, I was rather inclined to say the
child had a _gutta serena_, but was soon convinced that this could not
be the case, as she evidently enjoyed being in the light near the
window. But at the same time I remarked curious convulsive motions in
the eyes, and that when the child was spoken to, and tried to look
towards the speaker, they were turned upside down, so that only the
white part became visible. She was born in this state. I inquired of the
mother whether, when she was with child, she had seen any body turn
their eyes in this manner. She replied that she was then in constant
attendance on her mother, or mother-in-law, who was supposed to be
dying, but afterwards recovered, and whose eyes were affected with
similar convulsions. _Hinc illæ lachrymæ_; this was the cause of the
infant's misfortune. I believe it was not originally blind, but that the
focus was situated too much on one side of the eye-ball, so that vision
was impossible unless the eyes were placed in a particular position
with respect to the rays of light, as is observable in persons that
squint. The natural situation of the eyes in the subject before me was
partly under the upper lid, so that only half the pupil was exposed, and
this was sufficient for vision in one particular direction only. I know
no remedy for such a misfortune, except perhaps glasses, cut in a
peculiar manner for this express purpose, might help it. I recommended
however that the child's cradle should be placed with the feet towards
the window, so that she might, though not at first without
inconvenience, gradually acquire a habit of turning her eyes downward in
pursuit of the light; for by repeated efforts any thing becomes possible
and easy. Bartholin's management of squint-eyed people is founded on the
same principles.
After a violent storm of thunder with much rain, I went, about four in
the afternoon, to the new town of Pithoea, and examined several
gardens, in order to learn what plants are able to stand the severe
winters of this inhospitable climate. Among them were the Burnet
(_Poterium Sanguisorba_) and the Costmary (_Tanacetum Balsamita_). Some
young oaks had been raised from acorns the preceding year, the greater
part of which were killed by the winter frosts. A few of them only had
put forth a fresh shoot just above the ground. The apple-trees were
almost entirely destroyed.
_June 19._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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