The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-12-31
for Wunrnen.

A lecture was recently given Tor the
benefit OF the Jefferson Maternity Hos
pitai. Philadelphia.
Or. George d. Schweinltz spoke on
ssThe Eye and its Relation to Occupation
ard Habit of Life" DIR. De Schweintze
said that 10 per cent. would represent the
perfect eyes. The type eye is only in
books-not in peoples heads. Speaking
OF defective eyesjght in children, he said
that in many the tendency is from hered-
ity. some start with tissues that hold
disease. Sometimes the eyesight depends
on the shape of the orbit. Some children
have very large orbits and when the eyes
begin to grow and develop there Is plen-
ty OF room for them; but when the orbit
is too small trouble begins.
The eyesight cf school children depends
or many things-the situation of the
school. the length of school hours. posi-
ton at desks n various circumstances.
DR.. De Schweinitz exhibited photo
graphs taken in English and German
schools. showing proper and improper
o. sitions at school room desks. Light
should always fail over the left shoulder.
When it falls over the right, the book IS
in shadow and the eyes are strained.
Position has a great effect or the eye
sight. A twisted. bent-up position ma
terially interferes with the circulation in
the neck. The eye is rsddIed with veins,
and anything which interferes with the
flow of the blood affects the sight.
The lecturer dwelt$ largely on what he
called the phenomena or defective focus
brought about by our habits of life. The
oyer-developed eye Is the n~ear-sighted
eye. People who have this eyesight
usually pride themselves in having strong
eyes. These eyes may not sbe subjected
to aches and pains, but they should be
treated with great consideration. The
far-s.ghted eye never gets the image OF
the retina except by one of three means.
They must either use glasses, increase
the force of the eyes or live in a world
in which there are conyergent rays. WITH
diagrams DR.. de Schwefnbtz Shove the
muscular action which is put forth by the
near-sighted eye when unassisted. The
strain on the muscles is slight, it is
true, but continuous the muscles lose the
power of expansion and compression,
and the sight is permanently injured.
People frequently ask me-" said DR..
De Schweinitz, why little children seem
to have so much more trouble with their
eyes now than in olden times. / do not
know that there is any more difficulty,
but there are more examinations We
have found that other disorders of the
bodies and the roubles of the eyes are
closely connected
A large debt is owed to DR.. S. Weir
Mitchell, said the lecturer, for discover
ing the close relations of the eye to the
nervous system.
How the eyes produce twitchings,
hysteria and nervous commissions was in
terestingly dwelt upon by DR.. De
Schweinitz. He showed on the black
board how the different nerve centers
are so closely located together that a
sensation sent to one affects its neigh
Dor just as strongly. One center be-
comes surcharged and Stops over, as he
said. The children of neurotic parents
register most easily nervous shocks and
are more liable to these forms of hys-
terra.
The prevalence of eyeglasses does not
mean that the eye is more diseased than
other parts; it only means that the eyes
carry on the outside the sign of its dis
turbance. IF all the people who have
dyspepsia wore white labels there would
be many labels SEEN" said the doctor.
Occupation in relation to eyesight was
an interesting section of the talk. That
peculiar culver that one sees in the eyes
bf Albinos is sometimes an induced one.
Miners who are occupied for a long time
looking in the same direction contract
the habit. Giassbiowers, whose eyes
are exposed to strong light, get an
opacity of the lenses. Certain kinds of
astronomical work strongly affect the
eyes. People should not work in bright
lights.
The eye and its relation to the drug
habit is an important study Many
drugs, consumed Unfortunately, have the
power to materially change the power
of seeing. They affect the sense of
color, etc. Alcohol, tobacco, opium,
choral were some of the drugs named. 1t
Is not so much the drug itself that hurts
the eye as the condition which the drug
includes. Drug blindness sometimes re-
suits from the taking of various oxine
LIN spoiled meats, ice cream and various
things.
Finally, DR.. de Schweinitz called atten-
f.en to the meaning of the special at
tention TO various organs which dis
t.nguishes modern scientific research. 1t
is not an exclusive attention to one or
gan. he said. but a study OF that organ
in Its relation to all others, SO that the
interdepandence of all the parts of the
human bsty may be fully understood.
-
To be beautiful according to the end
of the century standard, which is set
largely by acrobatic actresses and attn
Ietic grand DANES. one must be supple.