The Opelousas courier., 1899-04-22
MAKING THE BLIND TO SEE.
Successful Transference of A Rabbits Eyss
to a Girls SishtIess Sockets,

SuCSeSsiuA IFaHSIefence OF a ISaDDIt'S EYES
to a Girls sightless sockets
The operation on the eyes of a blind
girl performed by DR.. c. H. kohler,
at Minneapolis, Mimi, in which vas
involved the transfer OF parts OF a Iiv-
ing rabbits eyes to the blind sockets
of the girl has been pronounced a sue
cess, and it is believed the girls sight
will be restored. She had been blind
in one eye for fifteen years, and totally
blind for six years.
The transference of the eve Of an
animal to the socket Of q human being
to restore sight has been one of the
dreams of surgery. AS far as appear
ances go the operation has been sue
cessfuily performed anumber of times;
the eye-usually that of a rabbit
grew into place, and the muscles
united, but never was the patient able
to see. It was a better substitute than
. glass eye, but of no more use as Iar
as vision goes. The optic nerve Of the
human being and the animal refused
to make practical connection. In the
case Of DR.. koIler's patient it was
not necessary to.substitute the whole
of the rabbits teye. The patient, a
young aR,ut thirty years old,
whose home is In North Dakota, lost
the sight of one fye fifteen years ago.
Soon after the otter eye was attacked
alphabetically. Every effort was
made to arrest the progress of the
disease, but without avail, and six
years ago the young womau resigned
herself to absolute and, as the doctors
told her, hopeless blindness.
When DR.. Kohler resolved on the
desperate expedient Of the rabbits
eyes he called in a number of other
physicians and surgeons and asked
them for their views. Almost without
exception they pronounced it useless,
but admitted that the attempt could
do no harm. It was decided to oper-
ate on the eye that had been blind
fifteen years. The patient was care
fully prepared for the operation, then
both the oma and the animal were
put under the influence Of chloroform.
Special instruments had been con-
structed with which to excise the
eyes. The whole front Of the diseased
member was then removed. The cor
responding part from the rabbits eye
was substituted for the excised portion;
the lid was carefully pulled owe and
the eye was bandaged so that there
could be no motion of the lid and no
light could penetrate to the wounded
organ. Of course all aseptic measures
possible were taken. For a week the
doctors waited. Then they made an
examination. To all appearances the
original and the grated portion of the
eye had united perfectly, and the girl
could distinguish light from dark.
She was not permitted to test her
vision for the time being.
The success had been so signal that
the second eye was Immediately oper-
ated on. It was in much worse con-
dition, and nearly the whole eye had
to be removed and the rabbits eye
substituted.
As yet no examination Of the second
eve has been made, lest the healing
process be interfered with. The sur
geons can barely contain their impa-
tience. The operating surgeon be-
lieves that the success will be equally
signal, and the doctors who were so
doubtful are now sure OF the success
of both operations, and declare the girl
will see.