DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.70301#0409
DEXTERITY OF PERSONS BORN WITHOUT ARMS. 371
I went to Ditcheat last Monday, and the next morning got
him to breakfast with me at Mr. Goodfellow’s, and had ocu-
lar proofs of his dexterity. He highly entertained us at
breakfast, 1 y putting his half-naked foot upon the table as he
sat, and carrying his tea and toast between his great and se-
cond toe to his mouth, with as much facility as if his foot had
been a hand, and his toes fingers. I put half a sheet of pa-
per upon the floor, with a pen and inkhorn. He threw off
his shoes as he sat, took the inkhorn in the toes of his left
foot, and held the pen in those of his right. He then wrote
three lines as well as most ordinary writers, and as swiftly.
He writes out all his own bills and other accounts. He then
shewed me how he shaves himself with a razor in his toes, and
he can comb his own hair. He can dress and undress him-
self, except buttoning his clothes. He feeds himself, and can
bring both his meat and his broth to his mouth, by holding
the fork or spoon in his toes. He cleans his own shoes, can
clean the knives, light a fire, and do almost every other do-
mestic business as well as another man. He can make hen-
coops. He is a farmer by occupation. He can milk his
own cows with his toes, cut his own hay, bind it up in bun-
dles, and carry it about the field for his cattle. Last winter
he had eight heifers constantly to fodder; and last summer
made all his own hay-ricks. He can do all the business of
the hay field except mowing, as fast and as well, with only
his feet, as others can with rakes and forks. He goes to the
field and catches his horse; he saddles and bridles him with
his feet and toes. If he has a sheep among his flock that
ails any thing, he can separate it from the rest, drive it into a
corner, and catch it when nobody else can : he then examines
it, and applies a remedy. He is so strong in, his teeth, that
with them he can lift ten pecks of beans. He can throw a
great sledge-hammer as far with his feet as other men can
with their hands: in a word, he can do nearly as much with-
out as others can with their arms.
3b 2
I went to Ditcheat last Monday, and the next morning got
him to breakfast with me at Mr. Goodfellow’s, and had ocu-
lar proofs of his dexterity. He highly entertained us at
breakfast, 1 y putting his half-naked foot upon the table as he
sat, and carrying his tea and toast between his great and se-
cond toe to his mouth, with as much facility as if his foot had
been a hand, and his toes fingers. I put half a sheet of pa-
per upon the floor, with a pen and inkhorn. He threw off
his shoes as he sat, took the inkhorn in the toes of his left
foot, and held the pen in those of his right. He then wrote
three lines as well as most ordinary writers, and as swiftly.
He writes out all his own bills and other accounts. He then
shewed me how he shaves himself with a razor in his toes, and
he can comb his own hair. He can dress and undress him-
self, except buttoning his clothes. He feeds himself, and can
bring both his meat and his broth to his mouth, by holding
the fork or spoon in his toes. He cleans his own shoes, can
clean the knives, light a fire, and do almost every other do-
mestic business as well as another man. He can make hen-
coops. He is a farmer by occupation. He can milk his
own cows with his toes, cut his own hay, bind it up in bun-
dles, and carry it about the field for his cattle. Last winter
he had eight heifers constantly to fodder; and last summer
made all his own hay-ricks. He can do all the business of
the hay field except mowing, as fast and as well, with only
his feet, as others can with rakes and forks. He goes to the
field and catches his horse; he saddles and bridles him with
his feet and toes. If he has a sheep among his flock that
ails any thing, he can separate it from the rest, drive it into a
corner, and catch it when nobody else can : he then examines
it, and applies a remedy. He is so strong in, his teeth, that
with them he can lift ten pecks of beans. He can throw a
great sledge-hammer as far with his feet as other men can
with their hands: in a word, he can do nearly as much with-
out as others can with their arms.
3b 2