Vision without inversion of the retinal image.

Abstract

Seventh Day.—In the morning the flow of ideas while I was blindfolded was like that described for the evening before. But I noticed in bathing that the old representation of those parts of my body which I had so frequently seen ( at least in their clothing) during the experiment, was decidedly less vivid, the outline more blurred, the color paler, grayer, more ' washed out,' than of the parts which had never come within the limits of the visual field. Later, with my lenses on, it seemed at first as if the experience was in all respects the same as on the previous day. But when I began to pace rapidly up and down the room, I felt that I was more at home in the scene than ever before. There was perfect reality in my visual surroundings, and I gave myself up to them without reserve and without being conscious of a single note of discord with what I saw. This feeling of complete harmony throughout, lasted as long as I kept my legs either within or near the borders of my field of view. Otherwise the older, inappropriate representation of my body arose at times, but faded, while the new representation revived, as soon as some passing object was seen to enter the region into which the older image of my body extended. The absence of any tactual experiences such as a real body in that position would imply, cast, for the moment, an illusory character over the older form of representation. To what extent objects in view suggested the idea of other things in harmonious relation with the seen things is best shown by the following cases: As I walked into my bedroom and saw the bedstead, I involuntarily thought of the windows, repre1 Concluded.