Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0023665, Wed, 13 Feb 2013 22:31:09 +0000

Subject
Newton's bodkin
Date
Body
An interesting early (1665) meaning of 'bodkin' (not discussed previously as far as I recall) leads to Newton and color perception self-mutilation...

"Scientists occasionally conduct experiments on themselves. Among the most famous was Isaac Newton's extraordinary method for probing the nature of colour. He stuck a bodkin, a long sewing needle with a blunt point, into his eye socket, between eye and bone, and recorded seeing coloured circles and other visual phenomena..."

See attached! Those in New York city may want to attend.

Victor Fet



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