Part 9

_Present State._—Right eye: Small abrasion of the skin of the lower lid, with a surrounding area of redness. Some general conjunctival congestion, with a definite ecchymosis in the ocular conjunctiva, opposite the lower-outer quadrant of the cornea. Tension minus 1. The pupil distinctly sluggish and a trifle larger than the other one. Anterior chamber deep. A narrow line of blood clot lay at the bottom of the anterior chamber. V. 5/9 (ii. letters). Pupil dilates imperfectly to a mydriatic. With the mirror alone some parts of the fundus oculi were seen to be unduly white. When examined more closely with the ophthalmoscope there was found a wide but defective zone of whitish fundus, situated peripherally upward, inward, and outward. No such appearances could be made out in the lower part of the fundus. The retinal vessels, which lay anterior to the affected areas, showed no changes. In most places it was possible to get beyond the whitish patches so as to see the edges of the latter. These margins were irregular, and showed white, tongue-like projections running into normal fundus. Some small islands of cloudiness lay, however, beyond the area of general haziness. Around the yellow-spot region was a white radiating appearance, but no definite white mass was present in that place. Left eye: No fundus changes. V. 5/5 (iv. letters). Tension normal.

_Treatment._—Vaseline to abrasion of skin of lid; atropine drops (2 grs. to the ounce—to each eye twice a day); rest in bed.

_Progress._—July 26. R. V. 5/12; tension still rather low. The blood clot present in anterior chamber and also on anterior capsule of lens renders it difficult to see the fundus clearly; but no white patches can be made out in the fundus.

July 27. A little blood is still present in the lower part of the anterior chamber. The parts of the retina that were milky have resumed almost their natural appearance, and the changes above mentioned are now represented merely by a faint, whitish, ill-defined stippling of the areas in question. Around the yellow spot is a system of fine radiating lines, which extend for some distance into the surrounding fundus. This is doubtless due to œdema of the retina.

July 28. R. V. 5/6 (i letter); tension still slightly _minus_. Ecchymosis present in ocular conjunctiva, but the blood has disappeared from the anterior chamber. Pupil not so wide as that of the left eye, although atropine is being used to both. Faint cloudiness lower third of the cornea, made up of almost transparent dots, as may be seen with a +20 lens in certain positions of the eye. Fundus changes have disappeared; faint radiating lines, however, may still be seen around the yellow-spot region.

July 29. R. V. 5/6 (ii letter) T—I. Pupil now as large as that of the other eye. Yellow-spot region still surrounded by a wide band of fine, closely set, radiating gray lines. It may be noted that the corresponding region of the left (unaffected) eye is encircled by an ordinary oval reflex.

August 1. R. V. 5/6; (Tn.). A small ecchymosis still present in the ocular conjunctiva on the outer side of the cornea. No blood in anterior chamber; no corneal cloudiness. Radiating appearance still present around yellow spot of fundus.

August 9. R. V. 5/9, L. V. 5/9; (Tn.).

August 12. Vision unaltered. Radiating lines still present around yellow-spot region of affected eye.

September 5. The right pupil rather larger than its fellow, but no break in the continuity of the edge of the iris can be discovered to account for this. The action, both to light and to accommodation, of the pupils is equal. The radiating lines formerly present around the yellow spot of the right eye have been replaced by an ordinary oval reflex, like that present in the other fundus. Tn.; R. V. 5/6 (i letter), L. V. 5/6 (i letter); No. 1 Jaeger read easily.

September 7. Under atropine. R. V. = 5/18 + 1.5 D. Sph. = 5/5. L. V. = 5/12 + 1.0 D. Sph. = 5/5.

DEADY.

BOOK REVIEW.

DISEASES OF THE NOSE, THROAT, AND EAR. Part I. Diseases of the Nose and Throat. By S. H. VEHSLAGE, M. D., Assistant Surgeon to the New York Ophthalmic Hospital (Throat Department). Part II. Diseases of the Ear. By G. DE WAYNE HALLETT, M. D., Assistant Surgeon to the New York Ophthalmic Hospital. New York: Boericke & Runyon Co., 1900. Price, cloth, $3.00.

We are glad to receive this volume, for which we have been looking for quite a while; because it fills a vacancy in our homeopathic literature which has long needed filling.

It will be found a clearly and concisely written volume, very instructive and advantageous to the student and busy practitioner; it is not intended to be exhaustive enough for the specialist in these branches.

Among the many commendable points, we would call attention to thorough consideration of the subject of Diphtheria, and we are glad to say that the treatment of this disease is sufficiently broad to include antitoxin,—let it be rational, allopathic, or whatever we may denominate it. While, on the other hand, we regret not to see the appreciable doses of iodide of potash more highly recommended as antidotal to the syphilitic poison, when manifest in these localities.

The manner in which the general, topical, or mechanical and hygienic portion of the treatment is handled is to be strongly approved. The homeopathic indications are well written. Like almost all books by homeopathic authors, it shows the peculiar bent of the homeopathic physician’s mind is upon the therapeutics or cure of the patient rather than upon the fine development of the pathology, ætiology, etc., of the disease.

The publishers have done well in the binding, selection of type, and leading,—making it easy to read, but we are sorry to notice a number of small typographical errors have crept in, to mar it for a somewhat critical eye.

BOOKS RECEIVED.

The following books have been received and will be reviewed in the next issue of the journal.

Sajous’ “Annual and Analytical Cyclopædia of Practical Medicine.” Vol. V., “Methyl-Blue to Rabies.” The F. A. Davis Co.

“Diseases of the Eye,” Nettleship; Sixth American from the Sixth English edition. Lea Bros. & Co.

“Injuries to the Eye in their Medico-Legal Aspect.” By S. Baudry, M. D. The F. A. Davis Co.

Footnote 1:

Read before the New York State Homeopathic Medical Society at the annual meeting, held in Albany, February 13 and 14, 1900.

Footnote 2:

Presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Society of Electro-Therapeutists, Atlantic City, N. J., September, 1900.

Footnote 3:

Published by the permission of Sir Frederick Hodgson, Governor of the Gold Coast Colony.

TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES

1. P. 201, changed “glycerine, aa 2 drams” to “glycerine, at 2 drams”. 2. Silently corrected typographical errors. 3. Retained anachronistic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings as printed. 4. Footnotes have been re-indexed using numbers and collected together at the end of the last chapter. 5. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_.