Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1883-07-07

seventy per cent. OF near sighted
students. In this country, it is
true, we have not yet reached such
frightful figures, but we have already
statistics enough to prove concMsively
that the number of near-sighted or
weak-eyed persons is rapidly increas-
ing, and that each additional year of
study is adding perceptibly to the per-
centage of myopic children; and, mas
much as with the increase of acquired
cases will come corresponding in
crease of inherited ones, it may not be
long before thirteen per cent. of our
population will start in life with this eye
defect. There can be no question that
eye diseases of this character are rapid
ly increasing, and our public schools,
with their forced system of education,
have been justly charged with causing
large share OF this growing evil. Does
it not really appear as if our higher ed
ucatlon was threatening the eye-sight of
our racer This is a subject of vital in
terest 10 us all, parents, teachers and
physicians.
Were this defect to consist alone in
rendering distant objects obscure it
would be bad enough, for that would
necessitate our passing through life un-
able to recognize or enjoy one-half its
beauties and pleasures; but there is a
far more serious side to be considered.
My experience has taught me that
near-sighted eye is dangerous eye.
| Imagine the wall of house bulging
outward, be it ever so slightly, you
would say at once: "That is danger
Gus wall and likely to give way entirely
at some time in the future" If the
bullying were at all marked you would
say without even examining the interi-
or, the plaster within is undoubtedly
cracked, the paper lining the walls
must of necessity be more or less
stretched and torn. So with the my
opic eye. Its outer wall has yielded to
the pressure that close and con-
tinued eye work has made, and it
has become only question of time
whether the inner coats viii give way.
Now come to point of great prac-
teal Importance. All acquired myopia
is the result of over eye-work during the
growing period of childhood. When
told you that the sclerotic, or outer coat,
was firm and unyielding, l referred only
to the normal adult eye. In children
between the ages of five and fifteen this
outer covering has not become fully
matured, and its powers of resistance
have been by no means developed to
the highest point. Yet it is generally
at this particular period in their lives
that the eyes of children are subjected to
their severest strains. Parents and
teachers seem to vie with each other in
efforts to ruin, as rapidly as may be, the
eyesiSht of the little ones under their
care. In many of our schools the one
object aimed at is mental development,
no matter at what physical sacrifice.
Studies are multiplied and lessons
heightened until the child is compelled
to spend in,brain-work the hours which
could be so much more proftably de-
voted to healthful bodily exercise.
1t is especially upon girls that
this forced system of educa-
ton bears the hardest. Up to
about fourteen years of age they are. as
rule, brighter than boys, and being
more domestic in their tastes and habits
are easily induced to devote a larger
portion of their time to studious pur-
suits. Their education is generally
supposed to be completed when they
have reached the age of seventeen or
eighteen. Boys, on the contrary, do
not usually settle down to close mental
work until after their entrance at col
leoe, by which time the stock of vitality,
previously acquired by them on the
playground, together with the rapidly
maturing condition of their eye-struct-
ures, permits them to perform the tasks
assigned them without special detri-
ment to their eye-sight. Happily for
the comfort of the unfortunate class of
individuals who either inherit or have
knowledge of eye matters enables us
to prevent and to considerable extent
correct this defect. BY the use of the
proper concave glasses in early life the
child is able to ho}l his book further
from his face while reading or stu lying,
thereby relieving the eyes from consider
able strain and prassnre; the habit OF
STOPPING, so CONNIE Il among myopes, is
not acquired, and the chances of the
development of serious eye affections
later in life are sensibly diminished.
Happily, too, the gt ueral public is be-
ginning to realize that glasses, when
intelligently prescribed, are of great
practical value; and the absurd notion
that no one requires spectacles until
middle-age is reached is fortunately
rapidly passing out of date. Family
medical advisers, in the best interests
of their patients, should recommend
that all practically useless studies be
droppe so soon as it is found that the
eyes OF the children under their care
are suffering in any way from too clos5
mental application. Parents and teach.
ers should bear in mind that the SUPER
fetal knowledge of many books will not