Saturday, March 07, 2020
Observations worth exploring
A wonderful essay on ALL the senses including olfaction, found in an 1893 publication by Perkins School for the Blind. The piece by John Vars starts on p 25 of this PDF.
I'll quote a bit of it. The whole thing is eminently worth reading.
This echo spoken of by Mr. Perry is always present, though it is unnoticed by those who depend upon their sight for observation, except in a very quiet street or at night when it is very still. But to us who depend upon it for a knowledge of our surroundings it becomes not only very perceptible, but very communicative as well. Through it we learn what the average man learns through his eye. The kind of echo given back by the fence or wall beside which we are walking tells us whether it is composed of wood, iron, or stone. By means of this echo we are also able to tell the style of wall or fence which we are passing, — that is, if it is of wood, we can tell whether it is built of matched boards or whether it is a slat fence; and, if it be of iron, whether the bars are perpendicular, as in a picket fence or whether they run horizontally, as in a gas pipe fence. It also indicates to us the height of a fence or wall, which we can tell quite accurately until it exceeds that of our own stature.Unlike most writing from that era, Vars's observations hold up after recent findings in neurology and acoustics. In fact neurology might do well to explore some of those fine distinctions. Especially the vertical measurements, since it's generally assumed that bilateral localization doesn't work well in the vertical dimension. Carver. Look about you. Take hold of the things that are here. Talk to them. Let them talk to you.
Labels: Asked better than answered, Carver
¶ 7:34 AM
