Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-11-26
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From the Medical Record.l
NJ. Trancesaue Sarcev, the we'll
known French critic, has written little
work which is we'll worth the pernsal
Of PHYSICIANS by virtue of its charming
stvle and the freshness and force with
which he describes the course and the
hangers OF near sightedness. His book
is an autobiography, 80 far as relates to
his ewes. He begins: 81 was born
near sighted, dreadfully near sighted.
Many physicians assert that persons are
never born near sighted, but only be-
come so. However, science may thinl,
what she pleases, but ] was born
myopic" The very day on which his
intirmitv was discovered is indcllbly
stamped on his memory, and his &C.
count Of it is quite worthy transcribing:
"Onc day, prompted by spirit Of
mischief, got hold of the big silver
spectacles which my father always wore
and clapped them on, Fifty years have
passed since then, but the sensation L
experienced is keen and thrilling to this
day. l gave cry Of establishment and
Joy. Up to that moment ] had seen the
lofty dome above me only as thick,
green cloth, through which no ray of
sunlight ever fell. Now, oh wonder
and delight. L saw that in this dome
were many little brilliant chinlSs; that
it was made of myriad separate and
distinct leaves, through whose interstices
the sunshine shifted, imparting to their
greenery thousand tones of light and
shade. But what amazed me most,
what so enchanted me that I cannot
speak of it to this day without emotion,
was that I saw suddenly between the
leaves, and far away beyond them, little
glimpses Of the bright blue sky. I
clapped my hands in ecstasy. was
mad with establishment and delight"
Very high myopi,s like Sarcey's is
rare; but moderate degrees of myopia
are very common; and myopia, as
Sarcey states, is increasing and spread
ing through Europe like some epidemic
disease. Among the ancients it APP
pears to have been practically unknown.
As evidence of this, NJ. Sarcey refers to
the ancient amphitheatcrs in which
10000 spectators sat and viewed the
games without q glass. Perhaps, to be
sure, the myopes of those days might
have learned to stay at home. How
ever, that myopia is increasing, there
can be no doubt. In fifteen years the
proportion Of undoubted myopes in the
Polytechnic school of France has risen
from 30 to so per cent. and so per cent.
of the students have to wear glasses.
NJ. Sarcey urges his readers with pro-
found emphasis to remember that
myopia has tendency to increase, I'M
less numberless precautions are taken,
and that all myopic eyes are weak eyes,
to be looked after carefully by their
| possessor. In his own case the result
of overuse and misuse OF his eyes, es-
pecially his attempts to get along with
out glasses was that he lost the eyesight
of one eye entirely, through detach-
ment of the retina and that q cataract
developed in the other. The loss of
the eye he attributes to the effects of
studying when a boy in badl Lighted
school-room, and he invo]les all mothers
to examine the school rooms. eff they
be not fairly flooded with light, take
your son home again. 70 leave him
bent for ten years over dimly-lighted
books, is, if he has any tendency to
this trouble, almost certain to lay up
myopia for his manhood if he be al
J ready myopic, it is to assure him a blind
old age. 7" Sarcey's description of the
development of his cataract and OF it's
removal is vivid and dramatic. The
operation was successful, and he now
sees distinct objects even better than
before. The epilogue OF his story is /:
Remember that all extreme myopia
ends almost infallibly in cataract, and
that nearly all myopia may become OK
IRENE if the eyes are abused" While
Sarcey's views are somewhat tinctured
by the bitterness of his personal ex-
perience, his warnings are wise and
timely, and should be widely read.