The Portland daily press., 1888-05-04
M ENDING AN EYE.
A Wonderful Surgical Operation Per-
formed at a Rabbits Expense.
Philadelphia North AmerIcan.l ]


One Of the most delicate and notable surgi-
cal operations ever performed in the world
occurred in Philadelphia the other day, it
being nothing less than traasplantation of
portion of the eye of rabbit to the eye OF
human being The object Of the operation
was to relieve the obscurity of the eye OF
patient, which was caused by inflammation,
and which produced in time an Opaque sur
face. The patient was servant girl, whose
eyes had become almost totally useless, so
far as vision was concerned, by reason of
the whitish coating which made both Of tie
orbs Opaque, and she was so nearly blind
that objects of considerable size were barely
distinguishable at the small distance of five
feet The operation took place at the Ger
mantOwn Hospital under the immediate
direction of DR.. l.. Webster Fox, ophthalmic
surgeon of the institution, who witnessed
which have been performed in the world, in
Germany last year, it being performed by
Prof. Won Nipple, of Gressen, Germany.
Both of the two previous operations were
performed by Professor Won Nipple within
a short period of time of each other, the Pro-
fessor having first devised and having had
manufactured for the purpose very deli
cate instrument, which, by means OF clock
work attachment, not only bores into the
corner of the eye, but also registers the
q
very small portion Of the cornea is cut from
one of the eyes of rabit and piece cores
pondng in size is taken from the afflicted
eye of the human patient, both being taken
from point directly in front OF the pupil OF
the orbit. Both the rabbit and the patient
were first placed under the influence of the
local anesthetic cocaine, and the rabbits
eye was selected by reason of similarity to
the human eye, and because it is distinct
lively herbacious animal, the blood of which
Sc lfo1Rl 20 1far tfaaf finn inf
than those whose food is composed princi-
pally Of animal matter.
The operation, while delicate in its nature,
was not a difficult one, and while it will re-
quire from ten to fifteen days time to devel-
Op the results expected of it, there has not
been doubt of its success in the minds Of
the most expert ophthalmic surgeons of the
United States. The operation, leaving out
all technical language in the description Of
it, is simply the engrafting Of piece OF the
cornea of a rabbits eye in the cornea of the
eye of human subject, and as it is the first
operation of the kind ever performed in
America and the third ever occurring in the
world, the success of it has been matter Of
intense interest among the prominent oph
thalmagists of the country, and as both Of
the two previous cases of this kind have
been successful beyond the most sanguine
expectations of the operators, there is but
little idea of failure in yesterdays operation.
The cornea of the rabbits eye was pune
tured to depth of about seven one hum
dredths of an inch. and the portion thus re-
moved is expected, with careful bandaging
to heal in the place Of the puncture made in
the human eye in transportation.
Professor Won Nipple, who performed the
only other operations of this character, was
Sc successful that he restored almost perfect
vision to patient whose eyesight had been
in almost total obscurity for period of no
less than sixty years, and with the success
of yesterdays operation will come a
revolution in ophthalmic surgery in America.
DR.. Fox has devoted years of study and
travel in his efforts to restore sight to the
unfortunates who have been deprived
either through disease or accident of natures
kindest gift.