Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-04-28
INCREASE OF BLINDNESS.
IN. los. Of sigh, IL Omen Due to tho
Neglect 81 Parents aud Nurses.

IN. los. 81 sight IL Omen Due to the
Neglect of Parents aud Nurses.
.Tbe latest statistics show that
i1indne,s l. on the Increase In tho
Knitted States" Gays Dr. Guernsey.
,sThis increase in Now York state Is ut
trlbntable to the failure OF carrying
out the law which requires niidwivcs to
report 10 the board Of health all cases
of blcnnorrhea In new born children.
In fac, tho raw IA a dead letter, which
Il a great pity. because in the asylums
for the blind there an more people
who have become blind from having
been neglected when infants than from
any other cause. This purulcnt IN.
aammntion Of the infants eyes, which
Is 30 often neglected by the poor, Is bad
for everybody In the house, owing to
IL decidedly infectious character.
"Chnircn should not be admitted 10
schools II they have any contagious
disease OF tho eye, TO detect which re-
quircs expert examination, for II can.
not always BE- seen; for example,
granular Ids contain nm infectious
secretion. Just ms children In the pub
lie schools are required 10 show Ger.
tiacato Of vaccination before thcy can
gain admission, 40 should children
likewise DO required to prove that the
condition Of their eyes Is not such as TO
endangcr tho eyes OF their littlo com
Tados
"Most persons arc born far sighted;
some rcmain 10 throughout life; the
sight Of others becomes normal, aud
still Others become near sighted. Amer.
leans as a class are not 80 near sighted
~ people Of older civilizations. Tho
Germans arc tho most near sighted
people, probably because they study
tho most and with tho poorest light.
There are at best very fow normal eyes
we are all Of US generally either near
sighted or far sighted. Color blind.
ness Is ut times congcnital, In which
case Il Is lncurablc, but color blindness
may be acquired later In life. and then
II yields TO treatment. Statistics show
that about 4 per cent. OF all men are
color blind, but only 2 per cent. Of all
women.
100 great care cannot In exercised
In the marine service and In tho rail.
road service not TO employ tho color
blind, for their inability TO distinguish
green from red causes them 10 CON
found tho danger signal, 10 the great
danger Of the travelling public.
II want TO enter my protest against
badly lighted horo ears, In which read.
ing Is both difficult and dangerous. Ia
travelling by rail do not think that
much harm Is ordinarily done to tho
eyes by reading unless the ear shakes n
good deal. When the jolting move
mcnt Is easy II Is rhythmlcal. 40 TO
speak, and you can almost forcscc each
Jolt and adapt yourself TO Il. II Is too
much Of n hardship to forbid reading
In tho cars, unless tho road Is very
shaky.
Those who travel nm hour n day
should not DO debarrcd from informing
themselves Of what Is going on In the
world. And tho same may DO said
about reading by artificial light In our
homes OF course Il l. much better for
tho eyes 10 read during the day; no
body can deny that. But Il will not
do 20 lay down hard and fast rule not
TO rciff at all at night.
"Wo must take some risk; we emit
put ourselves under glass cases. II Is
with the eye NJ Il Is with everything
else. II the body Is sound and the eye
i good | can SEQ no objection TO read
Ing moderately Mt night under n good
light How many people do their best
work at night when everything Is quiet
In the house and they arc not dis
turbed."-Epoch.