Blindness in the Medieval Period and the Present Day

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When JBK asked us what our favorite scent was in class, I responded with “smell”, because I can definitely appreciate a good scent. But after giving it some more thought, I think that the combination of sight and touch is what grounds me, and makes me the most calm. The idea of going into a sensory deprivation chamber totally freaks me out! I’d be scared that I would literally lose *touch* with reality. In the third chapter of The Deepest Sense by Constance Classen, Painful Times, Classen explains how blindness due to disease, malnutrition or accident was not uncommon in the middle ages (Classen 51). She also explains that a few blind individuals from this time became renowned craftsmen, their sense of touch heightened by relying on senses other than sight. Unfortunately, many blind people from this time were hired on construction sites as tradewheel operators, since they would not be scared by the sight of the sheer drop that was below them. This was a very dangerous job as the wheels were often faulty, resulting in people losing their lives.(GGR Group).

In the present day, certain jobs involving touch are still reserved for the blind. In South Korea, due to a Japanese colonial rule established to guarantee blind people a livelihood, it is illegal for a seeing individual to be a masseuse. For most of the past century, the job of masseur has been reserved exclusively for the visually impaired.

Image courtesy: https://twitter.com/knowitallfacts/status/1004859079729319936



Image courtesy of Blindness in Renaissance and Medieval Art. http://www.larsdatter.com/blind.htm

Dog leads blind beggar, eyes closed, wearing wide-brimmed hat, holding leash, Avis aus Roys (PML M.456, fol. 89r), mid-14th century. 



Since I was three years old, I have gotten excruciating migraines that make it incredibly painful to open my eyes. Seemingly triggered by dizzying nightmares, my migraines render me blind for sometimes the whole day. To get around my house to go to the bathroom or get a glass of water, I have to feel along my door frames and cupboards, taking baby steps. Because of this experience, I feel very, very lucky to have my sight 99% of the time. While they are uncomfortable and deeply painful, my migraines force me to consider touch from a different perspective. However, for anyone reading this who might suffer with migraines… Try taking magnesium supplements! They literally changed my life, and now I only get migraines maybe three times a year as opposed to 20-30.


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Sources Cited:


https://www.reuters.com/article/oukoe-uk-korea-blind/south-korea-court-says-only-blind-can-be-masseurs-idUKTRE49T1RG20081030


https://www.ggrgroup.com/news/top-trivia-treadwheel-cranes/


https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/17/world/asia/17iht-massage.1.16231319.html


Classen, Constance. The Deepest Sense: A Cultural History of Touch

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