its re generality of people are in the habit of applying it to the same eye, and at the same time of shutting the other. According to Dr. Schmidt's observations, the necessary consequence must be, that the pupil of that eye, to which the glass is applied, is considerably more enlarged than it ought to be in proportion of the light acting upon tina, because of the enlargement of the pupil of the other eye, which is shut, and consequently in the dark, occasioning the pupil of the open eye to dilate itself. This accounts partly for the uneasiness we feel, when we have for some time looked through a glass with one eye shut; though the indistinct image we receive through the means of glasses has likewise a share in it, and that uneasiness. in a convex eye can therefore never be entirely obviated. To avert, at least, as many ill consequences as possible from the use of perspectives, we should not only employ achromatic glasses, but, for the sake of this sympathic enlargement of the pupils, we ought to make use of a double perspective, or binoculum, as the opticians call it; and if such a one is not to be procured, we should always keep the other eye at least half open. The reason why it must not be quite opened, is, because the other eye, with which we look through the glass, would, on account of the sympathetic contraction of the pupils, not receive so much light as that which is quite uncovered, and of course we should be subject to the contrary disadvantage. per For the purpose of having more light, and in order not to have this light overshadowed by our own hand, we commonly place our writing desks with the left side to the window, or to the light in general, as most people write with the right hand. But this produces, though in a less degree, the same consequences as the common use of spectives; for although the rays, reflected from that material on which we write, will almost equally affect both our eyes, yet those additional rays, which we receive through the window, or from a luminous body at our left side, can only affect our left eye, as the ridge of the nose will hinder them from entering our right eye. Hence the pupil of the latter must be more contracted, as it should be, by the rays it receives, and accordingly we endeavour (though imperceptibly to ourselves, from want of attention) to adjust that eye better and better to the smaller quantity of light it receives, in opposition to the re-action of the left eye. The consequences of this are easily to be drawn; if both eyes are sound, the sight of the left will by and by be far inferior to that of the right, because this latter 1 latter is more in the habit to be closer employed, and it is, by the like diameter of the pupil, easier to be affected from the same quantity of light than the former, which is accustomed to a greater quantity of it; if, on the contrary, the eyes are naturally weak, they will both become in a much less time short-sighted than in a better situation, as the unequal affection, of them will mutually and alternately contribute to accelerate that event. To prevent this, it will be adviscable to place ourselves in writing, or any similar occupation, with our face before a window, that we may have the light in front; and if we are obliged to make use of artificial light, we must place it likewise in front of ourselves, and effect, by means of a screen of nearly transparent paper, its equal distribution before our eyes. It may also be observed here, that we do not, by far, take sufficient care of our eyes with respect to the manner of lighting our apartments, and especially, when we are writing, reading, &c. In the first place, we do not give light enough, which induces us, secondly, to have our candles so low, that the flame of them is constantly futtering before our eyes. It is evident, that no one of the objects around us can give so bright a light as the candle itself, as they all borrow their light from it; consequently, if we have a candle before us, whose flame is not above our horizon, and we look at another object, not only the luminous rays refracted from that, but also a quantity of rays, emanating from the candle, must touch our eyes. The pupil, therefore, will be much more contracted, as it ought to be, by virtue of the refracted rays, which produce an indistinct and imperfect image of the object we are really looking at. But this indistinctness generates not only an uneasiness in our mind, but we also endeavour to correct it, by pinching our eyes with the eyelids, retracting and protruding them, and, in short, making various trials to effect a distinct image, when the organ is soon tired out, and we are obliged to let it rest. Here every body exclaims, it is the easiest matter in the world to avoid this, if you only place a green shade over your eyes. But, however, there is another preventive, which is, in my opinion, still easier, and more efficacious, without having the disadvantages of a shade, namely, if we augment the light, and elevate it so much, that it is above our horizon. It is true, the shade obstructs the rays of the candle, but then we shall frequently be obliged to turn from our work, when the light of the candle will, on a sudden, start in our eyes; and every one knows, how very hurtful sudden changes changes of a weak and strong light are to the sight. More over, if the light is very low, it will be concentrated almost upon one spot; and as the ground on which we work is generally of a white colour (as paper, linen, &c.) the strong reflection will dazzle our eyes so much, that we must take considerable pains to observe the very work we are doing. If it was not for the high price, I should recommend for the above desired purposes Argand's lamps, which unite every conveniency in themselves, if they are suspended high enough, as they give a sufficiently strong and equal light, being at the same time sufficiently above the horizon of our eyes. June 9, 1805. Report of Diseases in the public and private Practice of one of the Physicians of the Finsbury Dispensary, from the 20th of May, to the 20th of June. In consequence of the suggestion of a professional friend, in whose judgment, as well as candour, he has an entire confidence, the Reporter is induced, before he makes any remarks upon the diseases of the last month, to explain a proposition which was made by him in the preceding number of this Journal, with regard to the cure and management of fever. The writer of that article did not mean to say, that in all cases, or in the greater number, when a patient dies of fever, it must inevitably be owing to an error of the medical attendant. He wished merely to express his firm conviction, that, where the excitability had not been previously exhausted by years, or by habits of intemperance or indiscretion, a person who, from the first feeling of a febrile attack, was properly managed and attended to, (which, by the way, depends as much on the patient himself, his friends, or his nurse, as on his physician) would never fall a victim to the complaint. When When the assertor of this opinion shall meet, in his practice, with a fact that opposes it, he pledges himself to recant his faith, and to publish, without any colouring or mutilation, the actual circumstances of the case. The fatal error consists in hesitating to apply for any advice, until that period of a disease when the best advice is often of no avail. "For want of timely care, millions have died of medicable wounds." A remarkable instance of dimness of sight, that has for some months past been gradually approaching towards absolute blindness, which indeed has actually taken place in one of the eyes, is at present under the Reporter's care. The patient first perceived it the day after she had been frightened by a violent paroxysm of epilepsy with which her husband was attacked in the night. Since that time, although never in the least so before, she has herself become extremely liable to fits, and is apt to fall down insensible, upon occasions of the slightest degree of surprise or agitation. Her complaint seems to consist not in an injured structure of the eye, but in a debility of the nervous system in general, that appears more particularly in that delicate and exquisitely-irritable part of it which is destined for the purpose of vision. It is, of course, not a case for surgical, but medical, treatment*. She already begins to feel an alleviation of her complaint. She says, that "she can bear the light of the sun better." Before, she was scarcely able to see at all, unless when in the house, or in some other way sheltered from the glare of the solar rays. The capacity of seeing with the eye that is not altogether blind is intermittent, "going and coming," to use her own metaphor, "like the sun when a cloud passes over it." The patient has likewise been liable to a deafness, that may be traced to the same circumstance as gave rise to her ophthalmic malady. hearing is in a great measure restored, which affords an agreeable Her * Such distinctions, although for the most part they ought to be observed, may, sometimes, be carried to an absurd and ludicrous extent. At Calais, about three years ago, as the writer was walking upon the sands of the shore, a particle from them lodged itself under his upper eye-lid. Happening, at the moment of the accident, to be near a shop that wore a pharmaceutical physiognomy, he entered, and requested the person whom he saw there to remove the troublesome intruder, by means of the feather of a quill that was lying upon his desk. The performance of this operation, however, he scrupulously declined. Je vous demande pardonne, nous sommes chymiste, pas chirurgiens, il n'est pas à nous d'operer. agreeable presage with regard to the ultimate recovery of her sight; both having a common origin, and, alike, symptoms of nervous debility or derangement. One of the seven men who lately fell, as stated in the newspapers, from a scaffold in Thames-street, died upon the spot. In consequence of the horror which this accident excited in a near female relation, who was, before, in a weak and irritable state, she was seized with a paralytic affection of all her limbs. She is now a patient of the Dispensary. This fact occurring only a few days after the one just stated, strongly co-operates with it, in demonstrating not. the unlimited, but the important and incalculable, power which the mental faculties and sensations-possess over the feelings and energies of the body. In addition to the two instances already mentioned, tending to display the ascendancy of the mind over our material organization, the Reporter has a third case to relate, which likewise came under his cognizance, a very short time ago, in which a derangement of the body produced a corresponding disorder in the power and perspicacity of the understanding. It occurred at one of those critical periods of life, at which the female sex are particularly liable to an anomalous variety of diseases, especially to those to which there is any hereditary or constitutional propensity. The poor woman fancied that she saw her bed encompassed with a legion of devils, impatient to hurry her to eternal torments. She derided medicine, and obstinately and haughtily resisted its application. In a very short time, however, an alteration having taken place in her physical condition, she repented of her folly, and smiled at the mention of her former terrors. To so humiliating a degree do the floating particles of matter which surround, and still more those which enter into, the interior composition of our frame, exhibit their influence in exciting, repressing, or disordering the phe nomena of human intelligence. "Toi qui dans ta folie prends arrogamment le titre de Roi de la Nature; toi qui mesures et la terre et les cieux; toi, pour qui ta vanité s'imagine que le tout a été fait, parce que tu es intelligent, il ne faut qu'un léger accident, qu'un atome déplacée, pour te faire perir, pour te dégrader, pour te ravir cette intelligence, dont tu parois si fier." Greville Street, Brunswick Square, June 21, 1805. J. REID, |