The Sun.
London, England, 1845-01-15 00:00:00

LITERATURE.
A PRACTICAL TREATISE ON DISEASES
OF THE EYE. By William Jeafreson, late Sur-
geon to the Bombay Eye Infirmary, in the Hon. East
Azlia Company's Service. London, Renshaw, 1844.
Mr. Jeafr.resoni the author of this work, possessei. • -
advantages for the' study of the diseases of which it
tfea.s which fall to the lot of few practitioners, and
fortunattiy fur the interests of science and humanity,
he was by his previous studies and acquirement&
enabled to make the most of those advantages. He
was a pupil of the late John Abertetby, the most
accomplished British surgeon of the present century,
to whose merits he pays the following well-deserved
tribute of respect :
" It was the author's good fortune to be educated!
under the justly celebrated and talented surgeon Mr.
Abernethy—u man who was ever more anxious to point
out great and important analogies in nature, than to
fritter away truth by fine-spun differences and distina-t
tions; a man who was foremost in vindicating the great.
general principles of surgery, and in showing the con-
nexion of so-called local diseases with constitutional,
states, and their successful treatment by means directed
through the system as a whole. The sound doctrittes
taught by this great surgeon., imparted as they were in,
language whose eloquence was its simplicity, and further
impressed upon the minds of his pupils with the affec-
tionate earnestness rather of a parent than a master,
could not fail to make lasting impressions on the minds
of all, and in the calling of life into which after circum-
stances led me, I cannot express too strongly my grati-
tude to a friend and teacher, from whose precepts I early
learnt to look upon all affections or the eye in coanezion
with their constitutional origin and treatment."

In 1822 Mr. Jeaffreson was nominated by the Di-
rectors of the East India Company superintendent
oculist at Bombay, and was instructed to establish a
hospital there devoted solely to eye diseases. PatienW
from the most remote parts of India and Persia
flocked to Bombay to be treated by Mr. Jeaffreson
for diseases of the eye ; and from the month of
January, 1824, to that of October, 1834, he attended
no less than 53,391 cases, and in 36,564 of these cases
the patients regained perfect sight. The results of
this extensive practice are recorded in the volume
before us, which must, we feel convinced, become the
text-book on the subject on which it treats. Among
the many improvements introduced by the author, we
would particularly call attention to his new operation
for the removal of cataract, an operation of a nature
almost painless, and totally unattended with danger
either to the eye or the life of the patient. On his
way back to England he visited Egypt, and the fol-
lowing observations on the manner in which not only
ophthalmia, but plague, may be propagated by the
common fly in that country, are well worthy the at.;.
tention of travellers :

" The habit of the Egyptians is to crowd themselves
much together ; their mode of living is very poor ; they :r:
spend a considerable portion of time in the bazaars and
other public places, where the profusion of flies, at all 11.
times sufficiently great, is aggravated by the exposure of ti
dates, raisins, figs, and other sweets, by which they are
attracted ; it is to these flies, carrying the purulent se-
cretien from one eye to the other, that I believe the ex- 4.4
tension of the disease is frequently due ; and I would
strongly urge all persons in their travels through Egypt,
to be provided with veils for the purpose of keeping off
these insects ; gauze, or dark-coloured spectacles, may
protect the eyes against the glare of the sun, or partially
even against dust, but they do not prevent flies from
settling on the lids. My belief is that plague itself is
thus frequently propagated."
The author concludes by giving general directions
for the preservation of the eyes, for which purpose he
strongly recommends cold bathing. The following
observations on the Soorma, used by the females of
India to heighten their personal charms, are curious.
Soorma may perhaps ere long become an article of
the toilette in European as well. as in ,Indian boudoirs :
" In conclusion, I shall take the liberty of adverting to
a curious custom which prevails amongst tx.:e females ot
India, who are in the habit of using a biacz powder
,
called Soorma, which they do not put into their ey es, but
paint with great delicacy on the roots of both the ti: per
and lower lashes. This, besides contributing much $0
their personal appearance, by increasing that softness of
the eye, so pecuiliar a feature of Eastern beauty, they
conceive affords them some protection against cataract, a
disease too prevalent amongst them. It certainly has the
effect of keeping the eyes cool, and probably, by absorb-
ing some of the superfluous rays of light by which they
are dazzled and annoyed, may afford some protection as
well as comfort. Much on the same principle, that is, by
diminishing the access of a glare ot light to the eyes,.
are common eye-shades useful; which, whether worn in
the shape of a green shade over the eyes, or over the
candle or lamp itself, are very valuable means of saving
these important organs. Such practice, however bene-,
ficial in health during great exertion of the eyes, as pre-
ventive of disease, must not be confounded with the use
of shades, and still more so of bandages, in many forms
of chronic disease, when a moderate exposure of the eyes
to light, and a free access to them of pure air, are highly
beneficial by acting as mild stimulants, and if the term
may be allowed, as local tonics."

FOREIGN LIBRARY.
Chapman and flail, London, 1845.
The present Number of this comprehensive Mis-
cellany forms the Seventh Part of Schlosser's His-
tory of the Eighteenth Century, which has been
translated by a gentleman named Davidson, under
the immediate superintendence of the author. A
considerable portion of the Part is devoted to details
of the famous Seven Years' War, in which Frederick
of Prussia acquired such general renown, and in the
course of their details the historian furnishes us with
brief but graphic portraits of Louis the Fifteenth
and his shameless mistress, Madame de Pompadour,
who ruled France more absolutely even than the king.

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