On the sense of touch, or Physiology and philosophy opposed to materialism and atheism / by J. Augustine Smith.
- John Augustine Smith
- Date:
- 1837
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: On the sense of touch, or Physiology and philosophy opposed to materialism and atheism / by J. Augustine Smith. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library at Columbia University and Columbia University Libraries/Information Services, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library at Columbia University and Columbia University.
63/80 (page 55)
![A legal gentleman of eminence in London was ill with a pleuritic af- fection. When convalescent he saw one evening in his easy-chair, the figure of a female to whom he had been fondly attached, and who had been dead for some years. Her countenance was directed towards him and smiling. The patient being convinced it was an illusion, tried vari- ous experiments, and after a time it disappeared. As it happened, he suffered a relapse, and the figure again returned, but now looked frown- ingly. Had the mind of this individual been feeble, his temperament enthusi- astic, or his character one of timidity, the effect of such a vision may be well imagined. Brutus, as the classical reader will recollect, heard, as well as saw, the spectre which appeared to him. And there is one case on record where the nerves of touch were also imposed upon, the person feeling, hearing, and seeing an imaginary blue dog. An occurrence like this, however, is rare, but the instances of optical deception are innumerable. (j) I would not by any means have it supposed that I consider this most ingenious writer and amiable man, as an Atheist in fact. In what manner his sceptical doctrines may have struck others, I do not know, but the most prominent of them have always appeared to me like logical jugglery—the author neither thoroughly convinced himself, nor expecting to convince others. Their effect accordingly upon my mind has uniformly been to pro- duce a sort of ludicrous wonderment, as remote as possible from conviction. From this circumstance, and from the dress and style in which Mr. H. has clothed his thoughts, confining their perusal to persons somewhat curious in their tastes, and of cultivated understandings, his writings have, I am persuaded, done far less mischief than is generally supposed. How ill they are calculated to please even a strong, but uncultivated in- tellect, the following anecdote will prove. The celebrated Patrick Henry having enjoyed none of the advantages of ear]y education, and in after life wishing to improve himself, applied to Mr. Jefferson for the loan of some books. Mr. J. put into his hands Hume's Essays. After a few days Mr. Henry returned the work, beg- ging it might be exchanged for another, as he could not get on with it at all. Gibbon, in my opinion, has done, and will do more injury to the cause of Christianity than the entire host of literary men combined. With regard to that portion of Mr. Hume's doctrine which is our im- mediate concern, the fatal, though amusing inconsistency, was charged upon him of framing arguments, and writing books for the edification](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21207069_0063.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
