The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1880-05-14
Myopia and Its Cause.

One of the prevalent defects of the
eyes, and one of the most common rea-
sons why so many glasses are worn, is
short-sightedness. or, in technical Ian
guage, myopia. Concerning the causes
of this but little is known. The affec-
ton often descends from parent to child,
and infants are supposed to be more or
less myopic at beth. 1t is thought that
the tendency to short-sight exists, in
most cases, at birth, and that it is in a
high degree hereditary. But it is posi-
BILE, says Dr. Harlan. that it may origin
ate in later life from abuse of the eyes,
and there is no doubt that it is decidedly,
and often very rapidly, increased. 1t is
most prevalent where civilization is
farthest advanced, is more common in
old than new communities, in cities
than in the country, and among brain
workers and cultivated people than
manual laborers and iiliterate persons
There is relatively more of it in Ger
many than in any other country, while
England has been mentioned as being
exempt from it in an unusual degree.
But while much is yet to be learned
concerning the origin and other phases
of this visual defect, all the leading
ophthalmic authorities, from Beer, who
wrote sixty years ago, to Carter, whose
book has just been published, agree that
there is an alarming development or in
crease Of it during school life, and that
this deplorable result is largely due to
preventable causes. "There is kno
longer any room. for doubt" says
the last named writer, "that badly
lighted and badly-titted schools form a
great machinery for the development of
myopia; and it is probable that this
machinery, where, as in Germany, it
has fer a long time been in unchecked
operation, may have an important in
fluence upon.the form of eye-ball which
will be inherited by large numbers of
the population" DIR. Harlan declares
that it has been positively established
by careful and extensive statistics that
short-sight is most frequently, if not al
most exclusively, developed during
school life" DR.. Cohn. of Breslau,
made an examination some years ago of
the eyes of 10000 school children. and
reported that 1000 of the children were
short-sighted. And what is most sig
nificant, he found that the defect in
creased numerically and in degree as he
assembled to the higher grades of schools.
Similar investigations have been made
and corresponding facts found in Russia
by DIR. Erismann, and in this country
by Drs. Agnew. Loring, and Tundy.
DR.. Tundy, of Detroit, in paper read
but few weeks ago, reported that
among the school children of that city
he had found short-sightedness to in
crease during the twelve years. course
naught in the first to twelve per
cent. in the highest grade, or
one per cent. yearly. Among
the specialists on this subject there is
marked unanimitY as to the causes of
this irreparable but preventable mis-
chief. The causes are found in the
failure properly to construct school
buildings and to supply them with the
right kind of furniture. and in vicious
systems CONSTRUCTION. Faulty construc-
ton may be them means of impure air and
imperfect light, both of which are iDiu-
rious to the eyes. The eyesight may
also suffer from a wrong direction of
light caused by an improper construc-
tion of the windows, or an objection
able arrangement of desks and seats. The
size and form of the desk and its rela-
tiol to the seat have an important bear
ing on the proper use OF the eyeslgnt.
: To use desks and seats of the same
children of all ages" says DIR. Harlan,
g is not more rational than the svstela
of distribution of army clothing, by
which, as Dickens complained, all the
tall soldiers got the short pantaloons
and the short soldiers got the long ones.
II child is uncomfortably seated, he
is pretty sure TO lean forward on the
desk, thus bringing his eyes too close to
of
overtilling their blood vessels BY
gravitation." DIR. COIN found the
most and the worst cases of short
ightedAess ia seAleeIs that that were
poorly lighted and furnished with OBJ
jeetionable desks and seats. Other fruit
full causes of the mischief are badly
printed school books and pale ink. Prof
Douders, of Utrecht, one of the highest
authorities on this subject, declares that
the foundation of near sightedneSs is
mainly laid in schools, where by inn
perfect light, the pupils read bad print
or write with pale ink" To these mis-
takes of construction and furniture are
TO be added such evils of the system of
instruction as the admission of children
too young, too much confinement, and
not enough outdoor exercise, and pro-
longed use of the eyes in study, writing,
etc. In Germany, DIR. Treichler has
lately calledattention to another phase
oil this subject by showing an alarming
prevalence and increase of headache
among school children. After inspect
ing schools in Paris, Darms tadt, and
Neuenburg. he reported that one-t third
of the pupils suffered from headache, a
result which he attributed to defective
school hygiene and over-exertion. The
causes which are fruitful of SO much
headache cann OF have other than an in
juvious feet upon the eyesight, although
v,ae mischief is not so soon apparent in
the latter as in the former case.