FEIGNED BLINDNESS

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 10, 11 July 1914, Page 10

FEIGNED BLINDNESS

FIOW A GIRL FOOLED DOCTORS. "Hideous hypocrisy upon an organised scale, the result of which has been to extract large sums of money from the company which they ought never havo been called upon to pay," was the comment of Judge Amphlrtt at Birmingham County Court on the conduct of a young woman who waa said to have feigned blindness for seven years. An application was made by Messrs. Guest, Keen, and Nettlefolds to terminate a compensation award under which they had paid a girl 4s 6d a week for the past seven years. She was formerly in the company's employ as a scissors.setter, and she alleged that some filings flew into her right eye. as the result o£ which she had become blind. The hearing of the case has occupied eevet'&l days, and a number of eye specialists wero called. Tlio girl has since 'bean in a nursing home under observation, and Dr. Wilfrid Allport reported that the girl strenuously resisted all efforts to open her eyes. She had been watched by nurses night and day, and her eyes were covered with m«tal shields to guard against the possibility of her 'tampering with her eyes. The result was that after a i<w days all irritation of both eyelids disappeared. The lids and eyeballs were perfectly normal When the lids were forcibly opened the girl rolled her, eyes upwards* so that it was necessary to draw the eyeball down with forceps. Witness came to the conclusion that the profession of blindness was a deliberate misrepresentation, and he firmly believed tho girl possessed good, normal vision in both eyes. His Honour said tho application would be granted, and all compensation wou}d be immediately stopped.