S. V. Clevenger, a physician of Chicago, has described
the child as follows:--
"Oscar was born blind and, as frequently occurs in such cases,
the touch-sense compensatingly developed extraordinarily. It was
observed that after touching a person once or twice with his
stubby baby fingers, he could thereafter unfailingly recognize
and call by name the one whose hand he again felt. The optic
sense is the only one defective, for tests reveal that his
hearing, taste, and smell are acute, and the tactile development
surpasses in refinement. But his memory is the most remarkable
peculiarity, for when his sister conned her lessons at home, baby
Oscar, less than two years old, would recite all he heard her
read. Unlike some idiot savants, in which category he is not to
be included, who repeat parrot-like what they have once heard,
baby Oscar seems to digest what he hears, and requires at least
more than one repetition of what he is trying to remember, after
which he possesses the information imparted and is able to yield
it at once when questioned. It is not necessary for him to
commence at the beginning, as the possessors of some notable
memories were compelled to do, but he skips about to any required
part of his repertoire.
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