The Dickinson press., 1897-05-08
II WORLDS BLIND.

THE WORLDS BLIND.
oszssss 1ssss Abous tAs aasAtasss saA ~
Care 1Aksa e 1Asa n vasss~ IanAs.
Aparagraph h travelling about to
the effect that the worlds blind are
computed TO number 1000, 900
about one Gghtless person 10 every.
1900 inhabitants. II the proportion
Of sightless persons were the same
in every country, or Substantially.
80. II would be easier to conclude
that blindness IL due to causes which
neither skil nor foresight can pre-
vent. But the truth Of the matter,
as has been pointed out by a distin-
guished German oculist, Is that the
great majority Of cases Of blindness
are due to fever, and the same au-
thorities declare that rs per cent Of
the afflicted persons could have re
tanned their sight had they been
properly treated.
Some figures in corroboration Of
this are supplied by the Official sta
tistios Of both England and France.
BY the last reports there were %, 600
sightless persons In England, the
average being $40 for each 1000, 900
inhabitants The percentage Of
blind persons among infants Of less
than s years was 1865 for each
1000, 900; between s and Is it rose
to 288; between 30 and 26 to 422;
between Is and 90 to 1885, and
above 65 years Of age 1900 for each
Loco. 900 inhabitanta Similarly in
France the Official figures show that
only one.sixth Of the sightless were
born blind, and fve-sixths became
blind through illness or accident.
The French official figures further
show that Of those born blind ,e5 per
cent were male and only8 per cent
female children. Another curious
result shown figures is found
in the fact that while the number
Of blind male and blind female
adults was substantially the same,
the number Of sightless married
men in France is double the number
Of sightless married women. Less
than 10 per cent Of the total num-
Der Of sightless persons in France
by the last report were under the
age Of 81.
Russia and Egypt are the two
countries in which blind persons
constitute the largest proportionate
number of the total. population-in
Russia, on account OF the lack Of ex-
perienced medical attention, and in
Egypt on account of ophthalmia,
due to the movement of the sand by
the wind, or, more properly, to the
irritation caused by this unusual To-
cal condition, which has made oph-
thalmia general
There were at last accounts near
~ 200. 900 blind persons in European
Russia, the proportion being high
est in the northern provinces and
conspicuously so in Finland, where
the prevalence Of blindness, four
times greater than the general aver
age in Europe, is ascribed to the
datness Of the country and the i'm
perfect ventilation Of the huts used
by the peasantry. Many Of these
huts are either without chimneyso or
are supplied with primitive CHM
neys, which do not draw, and the
escape Of the smoke into the living
apartments has a marked tendency
to aggravate all eye troubles.
Though more than half the blind
population of Europe is to be found
In Russia there are only 25 asylums
for the blind in that empire, one
tenth Of the total number In Eu-
rope. Though the number Of blind
persons in the United States is less
than one-third as large as the num-
ber in Russia, the number Of in
mates Of blind asylums in the Unit
ed States is larger than in any 9TH
er country Of the world. BY the
last reports the total number of pu-
pills. In institutions for the blind in
the United States was $3.50, and
the grounds and buildings devoted
to their use were valued at SO, O0O,-
0OO.-New York Sun.