anomalies and curiosities of medicine-第133部分

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ous　case　of　expulsion　of　the　crystalline　lens　from　the　eye　in　ophthalmia；　through　the　formation　of　a　corneal　fissure。　The　authors　have　personal　knowledge　of　a　case　of　spontaneous　extrusion　of　the　lens　through　a　corneal　ulcer；　in　a　case　of　ophthalmia　of　the　new…born。

Injury　of　the　Eyeball　by　Birds。There　are　several　instances　in　which　birds　have　pierced　the　eyeball　with　their　bills；　completely　destroying　vision。　Not　long　since　a　prominent　taxidermist　winged　a　crane；　picked　it　up；　and　started　to　examine　it；　when　it　made　one　thrust　with　its　bill　and　totally　destroyed　his　eyeball。　In　another　instance　a　man　was　going　from　the　railroad　station　to　his　hotel　in　a　gale　of　wind；　when；　as　he　turned　the　corner　of　the　street；　an　English　sparrow　was　blown　into　his　face。　Its　bill　penetrated　his　eyeball　and　completely　ruined　his　sight。　There　are　several　instances　on　record　in　which　game　fowls　have　destroyed　the　eyes　of　their　owners。　In　one　case　a　game　cock　almost　completed　the　enucleation　of　the　eye　of　his　handler　by　striking　him　with　his　gaff　while　preparing　in　a　cock…pit。

Moorehead　explains　a　rare　accident　to　an　eye　as　follows：

〃Mr。　S。　B。　A。；　while　attending　to　his　bees；　was　stung　by　one　upon　the　right　upper　eyelid　near　its　center。　An　employee；　who　was　assisting　in　the　work；　immediately　discovered　the　sting　driven　in　the　lid　and　cautiously　extracted　it；　stating　that　he　made　sufficient　traction　to　lift　the　lid　well　away　from　the　globe。　In　a　few　hours　the　lid　became　much　swollen；　but　the　pain　experienced　at　first　had　disappeared。　Before　retiring　for　the　night　he　began　gentle　massage　of　the　lid；　stroking　it　horizontally　with　his　finger。　The　edematous　condition　was　by　this　means　much　reduced　in　a　short　time。　While　thus　engaged　in　stroking　the　lid　he　suddenly　experienced　intense　pain　in　the　eye　as　if　it　had　been　pierced　by　a　sharp　instrument。　The　suffering　was　very　severe；　and　he　passed　a　wretched　night；　constantly　feeling　'something　in　his　eye。'

〃The　next　morning；　the　trouble　continuing；　he　came　to　me　for　relief。　Upon　examination　of　the　lid；　no　opening　could　be　made　out　where　the　sting　had　penetrated；　and　a　minute　inspection　of　the　conjunctival　surface　with　a　good　glass　failed　to　reveal　any　foreign　substance。　Cleansing　the　lid　thoroughly；　and　carefully　inspecting　with　a　lens　under　strong　light；　a　minute　dark　point　was　made　out　about　the　center　of　the　lid。　Feeling　that　this　might　be　the　point　of　the　sting；　I　had　recourse　to　several　expedients　for　its　removal；　but　without　success。　Finally；　with　a　fine　knife；　I　succeeded　in　cutting　down　by　the　side　of　the　body　and　tilting　it　out。　Examination　with　a　1/5　inch　objective　confirmed　my　opinion　that　it　was　the　point　of　the　bee…sting。

〃The　barbed　formation　of　the　point　explains　how；　under　the　stroking　with　the　finger；　it　was　forced　through　the　dense　tarsal　cartilage　and　against　the　cornea　of　the　eye。〃

There　is　a　story　told　in　La　Medecine　Moderne　of　a　seamstress　of　Berlin　who　was　in　the　habit　of　allowing　her　dog　to　lick　her　face。　She　was　attacked　with　a　severe　inflammation　of　the　right　eye；　which　had　to　be　enucleated；　and　was　found　full　of　tenia　echinococcus；　evidently　derived　from　the　dog's　tongue。

Gabb　mentions　a　case　of　epistaxis　in　which　the　blood　welled　up　through　the　lacrimal　ducts　and　suffused　into　the　eye　so　that　it　was　constantly　necessary　to　wipe　the　lower　eyelid；　and　the　discharge　ceased　only　when　the　nose　stopped　bleeding。　A　brief　editorial　note　on　epistaxis　through　the　eyes；　referring　to　a　case　in　the　Medical　News　of　November　30；　1895；　provoked　further　reports　from　numerous　correspondents。　Among　others；　the　following：

〃Dr。　T。　L。　Wilson　of　Bellwood；　Pa。；　relates　the　case　of　an　old　lady　of　seventy…eight　whom　he　found　with　the　blood　gushing　from　the　nostrils。　After　plugging　the　nares　thoroughly　with　absorbent　cotton　dusted　with　tannic　acid　he　was　surprised　to　see　the　blood　ooze　out　around　the　eyelids　and　trickle　down　the　cheeks。　This　oozing　continued　for　the　greater　part　of　an　hour；　being　controlled　by　applications　of　ice　to　both　sides　of　the　nose。〃

〃Dr。　F。　L。　Donlon　of　New　York　City　reports　the　case　of　a　married　woman；　about　fifty　years　old；　in　whom　epistaxis　set　in　suddenly　at　11　P。M。；　and　had　continued　for　several　hours；　when　the　anterior　nares　were　plugged。　In　a　short　time　the　woman　complained　that　she　could　scarcely　see；　owing　to　the　welling　up　of　blood　in　the　eyes　and　trickling　down　her　face。　The　bleeding　only　ceased　when　the　posterior　nares　also　were　plugged。〃

〃Dr。　T。　G。　Wright　of　Plainville；　Conn。；　narrates　the　case　of　a　young　man　whom　he　found　in　the　night；　bleeding　profusely；　and　having　already　lost　a　large　amount　of　blood。　Shortly　after　plugging　both　anterior　and　posterior　nares　the　blood　found　its　way　through　the　lacrimal　ducts　to　the　eyes　and　trickled　down　the　cheeks。〃

〃Dr。　Charles　W。　Crumb　cites　the　case　of　a　man；　sixty…five　years　old；　with　chronic　nephritis；　in　whom　a　slight　bruise　of　the　nose　was　followed　by　epistaxis　lasting　twenty…four　hours。　When　the　nares　were　plugged　blood　escaped　freely　from　the　eyes。　A　cone…shaped　bit　of　sponge；　saturated　with　ferrous　sulphate；　was　passed　into　each　anterior　naris；　and　another　piece　of　sponge；　similarly　medicated；　into　either　posterior　naris。　The　patient　had　been　taking　various　preparations　of　potassium；　and　it　was　thought　that　his　blood　contained　a　deficiency　of　fibrin。　Upon　removal　of　the　nasal　plugs　a　catarrhal　inflammation　developed　which　lasted　a　long　time　and　was　attended　with　considerable　purulent　discharge。〃

Late　Restoration　of　Sight。There　are　some　marvelous　cases　on　record　in　which；　after　many　years　of　blindness；　the　surgeon　has　been　able；　by　operation；　to　restore　the　sight。　McKeown　gives　the　history　of　a　blind　fiddler　of　sixty…three；　who；　when　one　and　a　half　years　old；　had　lost　the　sight　of　both　eyes　after　an　attack　of　small…pox。　Iridectomy　was　performed；　and　after　over　sixty　years　of　total　blindness　his　sight　was　restored；　color…perception　was　good。　Berncastle　mentions　a　case　of　extraction　of　double　cataract　and　double　iridectomy　for　occluded　pupils；　which；　after　thirty　years　of　blindness；　resulted　in　the　recovery　of　good　sight。　The　patient　was　a　blind　beggar　of　Sydney。

To　those　interested　in　this　subject；　Jauffret　has　a　most　interesting　description　of　a　man　by　the　name　of　Garin；　who　was　born　blind；　who　talked　at　eight　or　nine　months；　showed　great　intelligence；　and　who　was　educated　at　a　blind　asylum。　At　the　age　of　twenty…four　he　entered　the　hospital　of　Forlenze；　to　be　operated　upon　by　that　famous　oculist。　Garin　had　never　seen；　but　could　distinguish　night　or　darkness　by　one　eye　only；　and　recognized　orange　and　red　when　placed　close　to　that　eye。　He　could　tell　at　once　the　sex　and　age　of　a　person　approximately　by　the　voice　and　tread；　and　formed　his　conclusions　more　rapidly　in　regard　to　females　than　males。　Forlenze　diagnosed　cataract；　and；　in　the　presence　of　a　distinguished　gathering；　operated　with　the　happiest　result。　The　description　that　follows；　which　is　quoted　by　Fournier　and　is　readily　accessible　to　any　one；　is　well　worth　reading；　as　it　contains　an　account　of　the　first　sensations　of　light；　objects；　distance；　etc。；　and　minor　analogous　thoughts；　of　an　educated　and　matured　mind　experiencing　its　first　sensations　of　sight。

Hansell　and　Clark　say　that　the　perplexities　of　learning　to　see　after　twenty…six　years　of　blindness　from　congenital　disease；　as　described　by　a　patient　of　Franke；　remind　one　of　the　experience　of　Shelley's　Frankenstein。　Franke's　patient　was　successfully　operated　on　for　congenital　double　cataract；　at　twenty…six　years　of　age。　The　author　describes　the　difficulties　the　patient　had　of　recognizing　by　means　of　vision　the　objects　he　had　hitherto　known　through　his　other　senses；　and　his　slowness　in　learning　to　estimate　distances　and　the　comparative　size　of　objects。

Sight　is　popularly　supposed　to　be　occasionally　restored　without　the　aid　of　art；　after　long　years　of　blindness。　Benjamin　Rush　saw　a　man　of　forty…five　who；　twelve　years　before；　became　blind　without　ascertainable　cause；　and　recovered　his　sight　equally　without　reason。　St。　Clair　mentions　Marshal　Vivian；　who　at　the　age　of　one　hundred　regained　sight　that　for　nearly　forty　years　had　gradually　been　failing　almost　to　blindness；　and　preserved　this　new　sight　to　the　time　of　his　death。

There　are　many　superstitions　prevalent　among　uneducated　people　as　to　〃second　sight；〃　recovery　of　vision；　etc。；　which　render　their　reports　of　such　things　untrustworthy。　The　real　explanations　of　such　cases　are　too　varied　for　discussion　here。

Nyctalopia　etymologically　means　night　blindness；　but　the　general　usage；　making　the　term　mean　night…vision；　is　so　strongly　intrenched　that　it　is　useless　and　confusing　to　attempt　any　reinstatement　of　the　old　significance。　The　condition　in　which　one　sees　better　by　night；　relatively　speaking；　than　by　day　is　due　to　some　lesion　of　the　macular　region；　rendering　it　blind。　At　night　the　pupil　dilates　more　than　in　the　day…time；　and　hence　vision　with　the　extramacular　or　peripheral　portions　of　the　retina　is　correspondingly　better。　It　is；　therefore；　a　symptom　of　serious　retinal　disease。　All　night…prowling　animals　have　widely　dilatable　pupils；　and　in　addition　to　this　they　have　in　the　retina　a　special　organ　called　the　tapetum　lucidum；　the　function　of　which　is　to　reflect　to　a　focus　in　front　of　them　the　relatively　few　rays　of　light　that　enter　the　widely…dilated　pupil　and　thus　enable　them　the　better　to　see　their　way。　Hence　the　luminous　appearance　of　the　eyes　of　such　animals　in　the　dark。

Hemeralopia　（etymologically　day…blindness；　but　by　common　usage　meaning　day…vision　or　night…blindness）　is　a　symptom　of　a　peculiar　degenerative　disease　of　the　retina；　called　retinitis　pigmentosa。　It　also　occurs　in　some　cases　of　extreme　denutrition；　numerous　cases　having　been　reported　among　those　who　make　the　prolonged　fasts　customary　in　the　Russian　church。　In　retinitis　pigmentosa　the　peripheral　or　extramacular　portions　of　the　retina　are　subject　to　a　pigmentary　degeneration　that　renders　them　insensitive　to　light；　and　patients　so　afflicted　are　consequently　incapable　of　seeing　at　night　as　well　as　others。　They　stumble　and　run　against　objects　easily　seen　by　the　normal　eye。

Snow…blindness　occurs　from　prolonged　exposure　of　the　eyes　to　snow　upon　which　the　sun　is　shining。　Som