Epidemic Ophthalmia; Its Symptoms, Diagnosis and Management. with Papers Upon Allied Subjects (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1896 Excerpt: ... great national desideratum. By the adoption of his practice, we are of opinion, from what we have seen of its effects, that a very large proportion of the seamen and soldiers who have been discharged the service blind of the ophthalmia might be again rendered fit for duty, or be made useful members of society." An embittered controversy, however, speedily arose as to the value of his treatment, which merely consisted in paring away granulations by means of a knife. The following occurs in a report131 signed by M'Grigor and by Franklin, and presented to His Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief in 1819: --"In regard to Sir William Adams's treatment of chronic diseases of the eyes... we are unable to state that he has adopted a more successful method of treatment than other persons: on the contrary, we consider his practice to have been in the main unsuccessful, and we have little doubt that, if a certain number of cases of chronic ophthalmia, and particularly opacities of the cornea and granulations of the lids, were to be placed under Sir William Adams, and an equal number of similar cases under the charge of medical officers of the army, that the medical officers of the army would cure or benefit a larger proportion of them than Sir William Adams." In short, a perusal of the evidence na 132.133 makes it plain that Adams's so-called new methods were merely those of his tutor, Mr. Saunders, adopted without the slightest acknowledgment. The only claim to originality that can be conceded to him is that he employed a knife where Saunders had used a pair of scissors. Nevertheless, he managed to secure a knighthood, and a few years later we read that a proposal was made to grant him, 4,000 from the public funds.: : tJ The treatment adopted by B...