The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-24
HUNDREDS OF MEN
MADE BLIND BY WAR
Many Cases Reported Among
Hungarian Soldiers Back
From the Front.
PLAN HOME FOR VICTIMS
By DR. BELA sZEKELN.



BUDAPEST. Dec. 30--A few days ago the
newspapers reported that Michael
Chumsa. a Hungarian sOldier-patieut At
the Budapest Hospital had lost his eve
sight and they started collection for
him the P,Stcr Llovd alone raising l4.OoU
krouen t5,6OO) within two days Michael
Chumsa's misfortune was looked upon a.
exceptional. and il was considered pub
lie duty TO provide for hts future.
But the publicity given to this soldier
blindness brought out the fact that there
We're many other similar eases. In the
opinion OF physicians there will be In
Hungary alone several thousand such We
Tins OF the war e the lighting is to con
tinue much longer.
1t IL a disheartening spectacle to look
upon these blind soldiers at the hospital
One sees many wounded. dishgured. ulcer
at!ng eyes Some Of these eyes have sunk
far into their sockets Others show TIE
upper. transparent part ~ the eyen1ll
spriUkled with white, cleaning grains OF
sand. whirled there by bursting shrapnel
shell Two otherwise healthy eyes blink
and culver increasingly. the nervous sys-
tenn Of the man having been shattered by
an exploding bomb. Another soldier has
his eye,ids seemingly grown together. they
having lost their power 10 open and "a
close Opened, they disclose empty cavi-
ties
one Of the blind soldiers wears the sill
yer cross for bravery. Though wounded
he returned to the firing line In order "a
carry away his seriously wounded Lieu
tenant. While doing this he was MT by
another bullet, which destroyed his eve
sight.
II is remarkable that most OF the..
sufferers lost their vision in the same
peculiar manner The bullet entered the
cheek and bored its way upward, emery
ing on the opposite side by way Of the
eyesocket after smashing the eyehall and
DESTROYING the optic nerve. At times the
bullets path was horizontal, the root OF
the nose being also shattered
Appalled, by the great number ~
blinded soldiers, the Hungarian special
lists. profs GrosZ and SILLY, have started
subscription for the erection OF a spe-
cial institution destined to assure live
lihood for these unfortunate victims oi
the war. There they would be taught
occupations suitable 10 their inhrmlty
on the other hand Prof Biesalski Of
Berlin and Prof. Lorenz Of Vienna are
concerned not only in caring for the
wounded soldiers, but in preparing the
numberless war crippes for their future
tasks of gaining a livelihood. Every
time Prof Biesalski visits his patients
| he endeavors to bring II home to their
minds that they will have to follow their
| former occupations. 4 teacher who had
! lost hiS right arm has learned 10 write
with his left hand and each daN he he
comes more and more convinced that he
will again be able TO exercise his profes.
| sion \ gardener who lost his lower limbs
| was convinced by Prof Blesalski that he
| Will be able To resume gardening a farmer
! that he Will be able 10 NOV and "a
| rake. A mason was made - understand
| that despite the loss of his right forearm
he would be able TO do brick and mortar
| work with the aid Of an artificial hand
Prof LorcnZ in a recent lecture sug-
gested that the State should take into IT,
| own hands dhe Manufacture Of artificial
| limbs. Should this he found impracti-
cable. then all manufacturers ~ these
conveniences ought to unite and work out
together the best models, in accordance
with the professors suggestions II Is
| not difhcuE 20 Imagine what chaos
would result and how costly the artificial
| limbs would become were II left TO In.
| diyidual manufacturers to deal with the
manifold problems which hava arisen
| owing 20 the tens of thousands Of cas-
| ualtics and were il left 10 them To ex-
| perimen, In each case and to construct
according 10 their own Judgment
The orthOpTdic method OF treating
lame children ana adults has made great
progress I'm the last few wears owing ~
the spread OF infantile paralysis, which
| had become epidemic in every part of the
world 4 paralyzed, motiOnless leg is of
| no more use than the stump left by am
mutation. And yet lame children. desDite
| the paralysis of one or even OF both
| their limbs, are able To move around with
| the help of very simple devices.