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Story
March 2, 1937
The Bismarck Tribune
Bismarck, Mandan, Burleigh County, Morton County, North Dakota
What is this article about?
In Wichita, Kansas, on March 2, 60-year-old blind farmer Joseph Backlund from Lindsborg regained his sight after cataract surgery, facing the challenge of learning to recognize by sight objects he knew by touch, like engines.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
Wichita, Kas., Mar. 2. -- (P) -- Blind 60 of his 62 years, Joseph Backlund looked Tuesday upon a strange world in which he must learn to associate objects with names.
An expert mechanic, he has known a gasoline engine by touch for so long that sight of it leaves him a bit puzzled.
"I can't tell what it is until I touch it," he explained.
A seventh operation for removal of a congenital cataract restored the sight of the Lindsborg, Kas., farmer. During his sightless years he learned to harness a team, do many chores and could plow an entire field after one furrow was made around it.
An expert mechanic, he has known a gasoline engine by touch for so long that sight of it leaves him a bit puzzled.
"I can't tell what it is until I touch it," he explained.
A seventh operation for removal of a congenital cataract restored the sight of the Lindsborg, Kas., farmer. During his sightless years he learned to harness a team, do many chores and could plow an entire field after one furrow was made around it.
What sub-type of article is it?
Medical Curiosity
Personal Triumph
Biography
What themes does it cover?
Recovery
Triumph
Misfortune
What keywords are associated?
Blindness Recovery
Cataract Surgery
Farmer Mechanic
Sight Restoration
What entities or persons were involved?
Joseph Backlund
Where did it happen?
Wichita, Kas.; Lindsborg, Kas.
Story Details
Key Persons
Joseph Backlund
Location
Wichita, Kas.; Lindsborg, Kas.
Event Date
Mar. 2
Story Details
Blind for 60 of his 62 years due to congenital cataract, Joseph Backlund regained sight after a seventh operation, allowing him to see a world he must learn to associate with touch-known objects like engines; as a farmer and mechanic, he performed chores sightlessly.