The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1897-06-05
CARE OF THE BLIND.
curious Facts About the Worlds
sightless People.
Russia and Egypt Contain Larr-
est Proportionate Numbers

| F"'"BVhpn Is travelling nbout IN
tue elect that tho world's blint oro
computed to number l 900, OOO-abont
ono slghtless person to every 1900 in
h"oi'"nts If the proportion of sight.
'eSS persons were the same in every
country, or substantially so, it would
DO easier to conclude that blindness is
que TO causes which neither skill nor
foresight can prevent But the truth
oil the matter, as has been pointed
outby distinguished German oculist
Is that the great majority of cases of
blindness are due to fever, and the
same authorities declare that rs DOR
cent OF the afflicted persons could
nave retained their sight had they
peen properly treated. Some figures
In confederation of this are supplied
by the official statistics of both Eng.
land and France. By the last reports
there we're 30, 900 sightless persons in
England, the average being $40 for
each million Inhabitants The per-
centage OF blind persons among in.
fants of less than five years was 166
for each million; between five and
fifteen it rose to 2SS; between twenty
and twenty-five to 400; between forty
i've and sixty to 1925, and above sixty
i've years of age 1000 for each million
inhabitants. Similarly il France the
official figures show that only one.
sixth of the sightless were born blind,
and tiye-sixths became blind through
illness or accident The French Off
cial figures further show that of those
born blind Go per cent. we're male, and
only 80 per cent female children.
Another curious result shown by the
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 number
Of sightless persons in France by the
last report were under the age of |
twenty one.
Russia and Egypt are the two coun-
tries in which blind persons consti-
tute the largest proportionate number
Of the total population; in Russia on
account of the lack of experienced |
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
~ this unusual local condition, which
las made opthalmia general. There
we're at last accounts nearly 200, 900
blind persons in European Russia, the
proportion being highest in the north
IN provinces, and conspicuously so
n Finland, where the prevalence Iof
four times greater than the
General average in Europe, is ascribed
o the fatness OF the country, and the
imperfect ventilation of the huts used
y the peasantry. Many of these
uts are either without chimneys, or
re supplied with primitive chimneys,
hitch do not draw, and the escape of
he smoke into the living apartments
as marked tendency to aggraVate
IL eye troubles. Though more than
alf the blind population of Europe
to be found in Russia, there are
My twenty-five asylums for the
lind in that empire, one-tenth of the
otal number in Europe. Though the
lumber of blind persons in the United
tates is less than one-third as large
, the number in Russia, the number
{ inmates of blind asylums in the
'nited States is larger than in any
Their country of the world. By the
at reports the total number of pu-
lis in institutions for the blind in
lie United States was 34S9 and the
rounds and buildings devoted to their
Sc we're valued at IS, 900, 900. New