Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1886-12-31
EYE DISEASES.
How They Are Spread by Towels, Files, and
Spectacles.


Medical and Surgical Reporter
To mention few of the modes of con-
| tagion, have to speak, in tn. first place,
of towels, especially of that abominable
institution known as the roller-t towel,
which has been used SO much in asylums
where forty, fifty, or more children use
| the same towel, whether they have granu-
lar lids or not. True, in a great many of
these cases the existence of granular lids
was not known; but even in cases in which
the existence of the disease was evident,
the ignorance or carelessness of the per-
sons in charge has allowed transmission
by means of towels to be one of the most
frequent sources OF contagion. As car
r1er Of the c0utagi ion, the house-fy plays
an important role, especially in cases of
young children who are not able to protect
themselves against the visits of this little
animal. Attracted by the sweetish odor
of the discharge il will settle upon the
eyes of children affected with the disease
specially infants, and carry the contagion
in its claws to the other eye or the eyes
of sleeping infants.
Spectacles may be the carrier of the
ContsgiOn. l remember the case of a
young lady who could not explain salts
factorily how she came to have granular
lids. Upon her return to school she men
toned that she had granular lids, where
upon one of her classmates said: ''Why,
that is the disease which I have been sqf-
fering from for the last six MONTHS
This class mate was nears sighted, and
used glasses. My patient was also near
sighted but had not used glasses, and
whenever she wanted to see anything at
distance she was in the habit of borrowing
81 h.. .,f Hn- ~
no doubt in my Dind that this was the
means of carrying the poison from the
ciassma ties eye to my patients eye.
Children with granular lids are very
apt to rub the eyes, because the secre-
ton as 1T begins to dry on the edge of
the lids, causes an itching irritating, SEN
satiOn. They will now play with other
children, and from their hands transfer
the poison to the hands of the other
children, and these latter rubbing their
eyes contract the disease. Handling OBJ
jects which have been used by granular
lids patients may be the means of carry
ing the contagion. A young lady who
volunteered to teach children affected
with granular lids. and who had been
isolated from other children in certain
Institution, was warned to be extremely
careful with regard to using handker-
chiefs, towels, or anything which belong
ed to the children. She was well avare
of the danger, and promised to be very
careful. She handled nothing whatever.
she said, that belonged to the children,
left her cloak outside, and in the class
room kept away from the children a dis
lance of five or six feet. But upon ex-
animation of her eyes, fourteen days
after she had taken Office, it was fouad
that she began to suffer from granular
lids. Upon inquiry l found that she had
taken copy-books and states of the
children for correction, and in all prob
ability she got the poison from the states
and books on her hands and then con-
veyed it TO her eyes. A teacher in an
other institution was more careful she
simply walked into the class room, did
not touch anything belonging
to the children, and for two or three
months, during the duration Of this cpl
demic, she was not affected by the dis
ease. The atmosphere had evidently
not been the carrier of the contagion in
the first case.