Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-13
Wilmer-Wizard of Sight


duced to a minimum and the amount
of flying was greatly increased.
In spite of this professional back
ground and an operating skill which
brought students from many parts Of
the world to study his methods, DR..
Wilmer was always hamperCd by lack
of a proper place. adequate facilities
and enough time free from actual prac-
tice to carry on those researches In the
treatment of eye diseases for which he
was so we'll qualified. He vas unable
to use his skill to advance branch of
medicine and surgery in which America
spect the country was, of course, The
greatest sufferer. and individual people
whose eyesight might have been saved
by science but was not were the victims.
But we have asserted that this is a
story with happy ending. One day
there came to DR.. Winners Office a pa
tent who had lost her sight fr, m a
disease of the eye known as glaucoma,
1.-The most mysterious of eye diseases"
1t was a disorder in which the doctor
to q certain extent had specialized.
The patient Mrs. Henry Breckenridge
then Aida de Acosta Root, WAS under
his care for many months, and at the
end of that time she came away from
the hospital with her sight restored
and with the first steps taken toward a
great humanitarian enterprise.
Lying by the hour with bandages cut
ting of her view of the actual scenes
around her, she had visioned with the
inner eye Of her imagination n wonder
full laboratory and hospital, endowed, in
which the doctor who was bringing back
her sight could have the fullest freedom
and the completest means for iinpart-
ing his skill to others and for adding to
1t by researches. She decided that
other patients whom he had treated
successfully would be glad to give The
money for such an undertaking, and
she made up her mind to ask them.
COnfides Scheme to DIR. Wilmer.
One day she naively confided this
scheme to DR.. Wilmer and requested
that he give her the list of his patients
He was aghast. Although he admitted
that an institution such as she 6e-
he was Mortified at the idea of appeal
ing to his patients for 1t. His gentle.
cultivated voice explained that he could
not capitalize their gratitude. He not
only refused to give her the list, saying
that 1t was trust, but he assured her
that If she tried to get it from other
sources he would block her in every way.
The rebuff had no effect on Mrs
Breckenridge. She decided to get the
names of his patients by some other
means. Through several of her friends
she ascertained that many Of America S
prominent men were devoted patients of
DR.. Wilmer Appeals to them immedi-
ately brought more names, together
with substantial contributions. Every
contributor brought others, and so the
list grew and grew. To every person
on 1t, rich and poor alike, she sent a
personal letter. and in reply to every
letter she received a donation. There
were no refusals.
Her original goal was two or three
hundred thousand dollars, with which.
she thought, wing devoted to oph-
thalmology might be added to some al
ready existing hospital But by the
time she had raised this sum her am
billions had scared to far greater
heights. She realized that 1t would
take more like a million and a half to
build and endow the kind of institu-
ton she had in mind.
Spurred on by her enthusiasm and
by their own admiration for Dr. Wilmer
and their conviction that what she was
working for was a valuable contribu-
ton to public health and happiness, a
group of his friends and patients then
Continued on Fourth Page.)