The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-04-04
THE WORLDS BLIND.
The Sightless and the Care Taken OF
Them in Various Lands.
New York Sun.

y" "a o0Als
a paragraph is travelling about to tho
effect that the worlds blind are computed
TO number LOCO, G0-about one sightless per-
son TO every l.500 inhabitants. II the pro-
portion OF sightlesS persons were the same
In every country. or substantially so, ir
would be easier to conclude that blindness
is due 10 causes which neither skill nor
foresight can prevent. But the truth OF the
matter, as has been pointed out by a dis
tinguished German oculist. is that the great
majority OF cases of blindness are due TO
fever and the same authorities declare that
% per cent. of the afflicted persons could
have retained their sight had they been
properly treated. Some figures In corrob-
Grafton of this are supplied by the Official
statistics of both England and France. BY
persons In England, the average being SO
for each million inhabitants. The percent
age OF blind persons among infants Of less
than five years was les for each million;
between five and fifteen IL rose TO 2ss: be-
tween twenty and twenty-five to 422; be-
tween forty-five and sixty to l,625. and
million inhabitants. Similarly in France
the official figures show that only one-sixth
OF the sightless were born blind. and five
sixths became blind through illness or acct
dent. The French official figures further
show that of those born blind s. per cent.
were male, and only IS per cent. female
children. Another curious result shown by
the figures is found I'm the fact that Willis
the number of blind male and blind female
adults was substantially the same, the num-
Der of sightleSs married men in France 10
double the number OF sightless married
women. Less than 10 per cent. or the total
number of sightless persons i'm France by
the last report were under the age of twen-
ty-one.
Russia and Egypt are the two countries
in which blind persons constitute the larg-
est proportionate number OF the total popu-
lation: In Russia on account OF the lack OF
experienced medical attention. and in Egypt
on account OF ophthalmia due TO the move
ment OF the sand by the wind. or. moro
properly, TO the irritation caused by this
unusual local condition. which has made
ophthalmia general. There were at last ac-
counts nearly 200, 600 blind persons in Eu-
ropean Russia, the proportion being highest
In the northern provinces and conspicuous
ly so in Finland. where the prevalence OF
blindness, four times greater than the gen.
eral average in Europe. is ascribed to the
fiatneSS of the country and the imperfect
ventilation OF the huts used by the peasan-
try. Many Of these huts are either without
chimneys or are supplied with primitive
chimneys. which do not draw, and the eS-
cape OF the smoke into the living apart
ments has a marked tendency TO aggravats
all eye troubles. Though more than half
the blind population OF Europe Is TO be
asylums for the blind in that empire. one
tenth OF the total number in Europe.
Though the number OF blind persons I'm the
United States is less than one-third "a
large as the number in Russia, the number
OF inmates Of blind asylumS in the United
States IS larger than in any other country
of the world. BY the last reports the total
number OF pupils in institutions for the
blind in the United States was 34Se ard
the grounds and buildings devoted 10 their
use were valued at 100000.