Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1885-03-11
DISEASES OF THE EYE.
The Poor in Cities Far More Subject to
Them Than the Rich-A Prominent Ply
siCian's Opinion.

From the New York Mail and Express.1
| within the last year the old system
of operating upon the eye has been
completely revolutionized by the in
ventlon of the new an@sthetic, muir
ate OF cocaine" said DR.. Alton G..
| Warner, resident physician at the
| Ophthalmic hospital. ''This wonder
tul an@sthetic is as far in advance Of
! ether and chlOrOfOrm as electricity is
ahead of gas. For the last three
months have used it constantly in
! performing some of the most difficult
| operations. 1t never fails in it's effect.
A few drops in the eye completely
! deaden all the nerves of the organ to
sensibility, and the skillful fingers and
lancet of the operator can perform
| their duties without pain and constant
interruption. All the annoyance from
giving ether is done away with, and
the nervous system of the patient
saved from an unnecessary shock. y
''How long before it takes effect af-
ter being administered"
'Never over five or ten minutes. It
gives no pain, no trouble at all when
administered. Thepatient remains in
normal condition and is fully cogni-
zant of what is going on. The effect
| lastsabout thirty minutes, longenough
to perform almost any operation. 1t
| IS q very costly drug, however, being
worth at least 3 cents per drop"
GAS civilization advances do eye dis
eases increase?"
"Most decidedly. High living late
hours, constant reading, working late
by artificial light and general excessive
| use OF the eyes produce diseases and
visual defects which the barbarian
never experiences. 1t does not end
with the life of the persons, but descends
to their posterity, if not in one genera
ton, In another AS a rule people liv-
ing in the country have better eyes than
those in cities. That fact, though, is
easily accountable for on the ground that
the former take more exercise, read
less, sleep more and live on q palmer
diet than the latter. There are more
particles flying in the air in city,
crowded tenement houses, bad ventila-
ton and stalefood-all these assist in
injuring the eye
''Then poor people in cities are more
subject to eye disease than any other
class?"
eyes. Hundreds of them come to
this institution every day for eye
treatment. They are mostly from
the tenement houses on the east and
west sides of town. Their preva-
lent disease is conjunctivitis, produced
by the outer membrane of the eye get
ting full of dust. Those who work
about machinery are liable to get bits
Of fine steel in their eyes A great
many cases from the latter cause are
treated"
HAS the electric light more iniur-
ious effect upon the eye than gas?"
eyes, if is not incandescent. The
incandescent light is steady and soft
and not as injurious as gas. A period
may not be far distant when an arti-
fetal light will be invented that will
have no more effect upon the eye than
daylight. But it does not follow that
eye diseases will be abridged, for it is
not SO much in bad light as in con-
slant use that the eyes suffer"
"Are the young more subject to eye
diseases than formerly?"
"They are; for the very reason that
they inherit defects that advanced
civilization has given to their parents.
But the mere fact that you see more
children wearing glasses than formerly
does not necessarily indicate an in
crease in eye diseases, but shows that
parents have early discovered the de
fects. Children in public schools
should have their eyes examined.
''The supposed stupidity of a child
is frequently owing to the fact that it
cannot see well. If glasses are used
early the defect does not get worse,
but remains the same during life. But
1T too frequently happens that children
get far advanced in their teens before
they have anything done for their eyes.
The schoOl-roOm should be examined
as to light, and the desks should be at
a proper focus in order to enable the
pupils to sit and read a book lying on
them without straining their eyes.
, Unless some better means than now
are adopted to preserve health and
eyesight, the increase of eye diseases
will not be checked"
HAS New York city any special con-
dition to increase eye diseases?"
eyes. Eye diseases are contracted
In the free swimming baths during the
summer months. Last summer a
great number of boys came to be treat
ed for eye diseases. They all confess
ed they patronized the free baths daily.
Hence, l speak from actual knowledge
I account for it simply on the ground
that the baths are unclean Dirty
towels, perhaps, are used, and the tide
does not carry away all the city ref
use"
cover 10000 patients were treated
last year at the Ophthalmic Institute.
The daily average of cases was 1877.
This year up to the present the num-
Der of patients has greatly increased.
The question for the future is how to
prevent civilization from producing
race of spectacle-wearers
Growing Up to the Railroads.