In these sentences we come across the stylistic device known as the metaphor.
* Catherine-wheels – rotating fireworks
** dorglums – here evidently stands for “doggie”
In the present selection one comes across the metaphorical use of verbs:
The doctor wrapped himself in a mist of words.
…a man cannoned against him.
And nouns:
Again the whirl of words…
…a mist of words.
The images created by these metaphors accentuate the fact that the doctor tried to escape telling Dick the tragic truth. He enveloped it in a stream of words called upon to cloak the true meaning of what awaited Dick—the loss of his sight.
Frontal bone”, “optic nerve”, “mental anxiety”.
The introduction of medical terms into the narration creates the atmosphere of a doctor’s consulting-room.