Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1913-04-22

blindness when it reaches this state
on the eyeball. The next most fire.
quent cause OF blindness Is due to
rubbing the eyes, which causes tho
eyeballs to burst The Jumps under
the eye lids gradually disappear and
| the lid shows a smooth silvery sur
face beneath. When the lid becomes
stages of the disease and from this
| time on the damage begins on the
sight 1t may require from five to
fifteen years, depending upon how
bad 1t is, but blindness Is inevitable.
The most frequent form of the dis
ease Is when the eye lashes turn in
and rub against the eyeball The efe
lids often grow together and in some
| cases the lid grows to the ball of tho
eye. Those patients always present
sleepy appearance as they cannot
open their eyes wide. They keep
pulling otu their lashes in an attempt
to correct the trouble
Treatment of Trachoma.
The treatment of trachoma is a
delicate operation and can be per-
formed only by those who are skilled
in the disease. DR.. White files off
the Jumps with sandpaper, which IL
a new method of treating the disease.
DR.. White has operated on $4,000
trachoma cases and has used sand
paper on 1000 of them, the opera
ton proving entirely satisfactory He
is also using frozen liquid carbon di-
oxide gas, which burns off the Jumps
without producing bleeding.
DIR. White Is new experimenting
with dyptheria anti-toxin, he believ-
ing that trachoma is closely allied
with the dypthera germ. When the
disease has reached such a stage that
an operation is necessary, the under
portion of the eye lid is removed.
The first operation performed by DR..
White in which the sight Of the pa
tient was restored was at Muskogse
two years ago, in the case of a brick
mason who was totally blind from
the disease. He is now able to see
and is following his trade at NC
Alester today.
Commonly Called "SOre Eyes"
Trachoma Is not new disease, but
an old one with new name. Among
where persons have been suffering
from the disease 1t has been COM
monty referred to as sore eyes" To
DR.. White belongs the credit of ais
covering the inroads made by the dis
ease made among the various Indian
tribes. He first found 1t at Phoenix, |
Ariz., and reported his findings to the
Indian office. When the report be-
came public howl went up from
the people of Arizona against the
governments Interference. The peo
pie finally discovered that trachoma
was a real menace and the govern
ment started trachoma hospital in |
Arizona to train men in the treatment |
of the disease. For the past six |
years, Dr. White has been travelling |
continuously, instructing ply sicians in |
the treatment of the disease; and the !
new men that were just entering the |
government service to take up this
special line of work.
Many Arkansas Victims.
Trachoma is prevalent in the hill |
districts of Arkansas, where the dis
ease is found in some of its worst |
forms-young women of 19 and 20 |
years Of age being totally blind, due
to the disease.
Or. White in oklahoma last sum
,..bft
from Arkansas. who had heard of his
wonderful treatment for blindness
and had journeyed to Oklahoma to
receive treatment at his hands. "The
whites from Arkansas are worse off
even than the Indians" says DR..
White. for the reason that they APP
parently become blind sooner. There
are many women in Arkansas be-
tween the ages Of IS and rs who are