Daily Kennebec journal., 1910-09-15
TRIUMPH OF SCIENCE
In Saving Sight err "tiii5ating Dis
figurement of the Optic.

pioyed in the Baldwin Locomotive
w Works in Philadelphia. was the victim
of an accident that deprived him or
his sight. The best surgeons in Phlla- |
delphia examined him, and told him
that there was not one chance OF his
ever being able 70 see again. At last
the poor fellow was convinced or thlS. |
At the same time that surgeons told
the Young man that he was doomed
for The rest of his life, they were
thinking of young woman who had
been blind since childhood. A disease.
ophtnalmia neonatarum, had destroyed
the sight of one eye and necessitated
the removal of that organ from its
socket The other eye was totally
blind. and, while it distigured thr girls
otherwise attractive face. remained IN
its place. because the surgeons of the
Medco- ChiruGical College. at which
she had been a patient of long stand
ing had an idea that they could re-
score the sight to this remaining eye.
under certain conditions.
The cornea-that transparent film
which covers the eye like the crysal OF
a watch-has become absolutely opa
que. If this cloudy crystal could bP
slit opcnI and the Opaque substance
behind it be removed. there was
chance that the young woman might
see again.
In order to perform this operation
similar to that which is employed in
cases or ordinary cataract of the eye
1t would be necessary, in this young
Woman's case. to make so large cut
il. the diseased cornea that q piece o.
the cornea of some other persons eye
must be grated into hers. Such al
oper alton would be almost unique. fof
many reasons. The first of them was
that mighty few people are willing t.
give up portion of their eyes to make
another PERSONS sight good. Other
reasons were easily to be found IN tn
manifest delicacy of such work WITT
even the finest instruments held IL
the most skilful hands, for cut one
hnndreth of an inch too deep might
result i'm destroying the least possible
remaining chance of the eye ever being
able to perform its functions.
But this woman had prayed the sur
geons to give her her sight.
"I have never seen my mother or
NV sisters!" she cried. Il have never
seen the beautiful world, the flowers
or anything. Oh. for one sight of the
things about me-"
The Young locomotive builder wa
a brave chap. The doctors thought o.
him, and DR.. l.. Webster Fox. Pro
fassor of Opthalmology at the Medica'
Chirurgical College, told hlm OF the
vOln. woman and asked him If ne
would allow part Of one Of his sight
less eyes to be transplanted to hers
The Young man agreed and the opera
ton was performed.
The cOrnea of tine young Woman'S
eve was cut open and a large part of
it., piece nearly q quarter Of an incr
long and one-eighth of an inch wide
was removed. The Young mans S eye
had previously been subjected to th'
knife, and a part of the cornea' :"
niece corresponding to that takeT
from the young wOman's eye, cut ont
When the dead crystalline lens inside
| the Young 'woman's eye had been re
moved and the opacity of the space
behind the diseased cornea removed
| the piece from the young mans eyt
was quickly put into place on W
fresh wound. bandages were applied
| to the girls eyes and the most inter
esting part of the experiment began.
They had to wait for nearly wcel
before the bandage could he remoVcc
and during this time one may imagine
| the suspense under which the girl Ia
bored Would the pain of the opera
| ton he repaid with sight? Or would
| it oil he for naught--mernlE another
disc ppointment?
The doctors stood around her On tia;
fateful day as DR.. Fox removed th'
bandase The girl sat up and stareC
about her Suddenly she trembled and
put a hand to Der men1ed eye. Ther
she removed it after pa"Se an'
looked about her Looked is the word
for she saw She actually saw!
The operation was. then. entirely
successful. and there is no DOUBT. saN
those in charge of the case that tn"
Young woman. who is less than 70
wears of ago. will have fair sight with
this eve on which the cornea Of mans
is GRATED.
This, however. is not the Only won
derful operation on the human eye
on record There have been many
others of equal delicacy. So many. il
Fact, tD3t one Is pOSll]Nt'N dSi'u'l'''
at the extent to which surgeons have
perfected their knowledge Of this. tn
most delicate organ Of our bodies.
We all know q little about the human
aye-how it is really q round ball, SET
in deep socket and attached to it
anchorage by the optic nerve. This
nerve spreads out. as it comes forward
md is Transformed into a hollow ball
inside Of which all is dark, like th'
back part of a camera This part Ill
side and at the back of this hollow
ball, is called the retina and is that
part of the eve which takes the pictur'
we see through the lenses in front.
The inner lens is a little round Us
tai. perfectly transparent, that catches
the picture as it comes through holc
"aIled tie pupil outside the pupii
guarding il froHi danger, is the cornea
50 arranged that the light is drawn liz
through the cornea, through the pupil
TO tie crystalline lens within AMI
thence to the registering plate, the re;-
ina. which. instead of printing the pic
turc indclihly, tells the brain about it
through the optic nerve.
Tho arrangement of this wonderful
pair of organs, how is easily
brp ,f