The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1886-09-04
chs 9ailg g ,llsttn.
SATURDAY. SEPT. 4. 1886.
SURGICAL SKILL.
THE TRANSATLANTIC OF EYES SUCCESS
FULLY ACCOMPLISHED.

New YORK, July 11.--Experi-
ments which DIR. Charles II. May of
the New York Polytechnic has been
carrying on demonstrate the feasibi-
lily of transplanting healthful vital
organ to take the place of one
diseased in the human body. If any
one has damaged his eyes or feels as
if a black eye or blue one would be
more in keeping with his style of
beauty few hours in the repair
shop will set all things straight and
he will come out fitted to his taste.
DIR. May began his experiments last
January, his attention being called
to the subject by the failure of SIM
liar experiments in Paris. He has
proven that the eyes of animals can
be exchanged without great diff
Guilty, and believes that the same
can be easily done in human beings
under proper conditions. Taking
two rabbits at time, he removed
one eye from each, and selections
were so made that when the trans
planting was completed one eye
would be black and the other blue.
Twenty-four rabbits were expert
mented upon. Seven were left I'M
bandaged and sloughing of the
cornea quickly followed. In seven
other cases the animals displaced
the bandages and prevented the
proper healing of the eyes. In four
cases the bandages were so tight as
to cause Inflammation. The remain
ing six cases were entirely success
full, and the transplanted eyes have
perfect natural appearance.
1t is considered established that
the cornea must be kept from at
mospheric contact, as in every case
where it was exposed PARTICLES of
matter floating in the air lodged on
the surface of the eye, and as there
were no tears or movement of the
lids to get rid of them, they set up
an irritation and inflammation which
resulted in the speedy degeneration
of the cornea. A union of muscles
was observed to have taken place as
early as the third day after the ope-
ration, though usually it took seven.
The optic nerve was perfectly united
in very case and the flow of
blood was regularly established in
about ten days. After the muscles
had joined there was an associated
movement of the eyes, and an OBJ
ject moved in front of the unoperat-
ed eye was followed by concerted
movement of both of them.
There was only one thing lacking.
There was no sight in the transplant
eye. The retina in every instance
had degenerated, and no nervous
elements passed between the eyeball
and brain. Whether this defect can
be overcome is doubtful, but it is
among the possibilities of the sur
gerry of the future, when the blind
can be made to see by giving them
a new pair of eyes. Every effort is
to be made to determine this ques-
ton. 1t is hardly possible that any
person will be willing to give up an
eye to be transplanted in the socket
of some other fellow who has an I'M
slightly one, and they will have to be
taken from animals. A rabbits eye
is much smaller than human eye,
but DIR. May believes that eyes can
be increased in size by a system of
breeding, and is now trying the ex-
pertinent. The optic nerve and
muscular attachments are all similar,
the color is the same and the size is
the only trouble. When right
sized eye has been obtained the
work of experimentation will be
transferred to human being, and
there is every prospect of success.
# S. +. Bulletin.