Cases of cysticerci in the posterior chamber of the human eye, with remarks / by S. F. Haven, Jr. ; read before the Suffolk District Medical Society, Oct. 31, 1857.

  • Haven, Samuel Foster, 1831-1862.
Date:
[1858?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Cases of cysticerci in the posterior chamber of the human eye, with remarks / by S. F. Haven, Jr. ; read before the Suffolk District Medical Society, Oct. 31, 1857. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    equal the original one, exhibited, as that one did before, a shining greenish color, was separated from it by a constriction, and cover- ed the optic nerve entirely. The visible portion of the retina was no longer normal, but was sprinkled with irregular bluish-white spots. Vision was almost null. Five months after the first observation, the original bladder had fallen to pieces, and only a membrane floating in folds and without form was to be seen. The contour of the second bladder was with difficulty made out, because it was covered with a simi- lar membrane. For some time Dr. Graefe thought the worm dead, but was mistaken. The head and neck lay so far inward to- ward the nose, that, in order to see them, it was necessary to make the patient look strongly to the right. The bladder, between the membrane and retina, seemed to be movable. Vision was null. At one time Dr. Graefe proposed the attempted destruction of «fche worm by means of a cataract needle through the sclerotica, guided by the ophthalmoscope. The appearance of degeneration in the bottom of the eye, however, prevented it. Instead of this, he tried dropping anthelmintic substances into the eye, viz., a so- lution of acetate of potash, and a santonin preparation. These were, however, unsuccessful, inasmuch as, eight months after the first observation, the worm was still living. II. Cysticercus on the Retina.—An instructress, of pale appear- ance, and with a constitution not very strong, who had in childhood suffered much from ascarides, came to Dr. Graefe on account of her sight. Some months before, she first discovered some pieces of a tape worm, but no cysticerci were to be found on the surface of the body. A year previous to this, she had experienced pains in the limbs, and transient feebleness in one arm. After this, she had a weakness in both eyes (but without limitation of vision), which soon disappeared from the left one, whilst in the right a slight in- flammation set in. At the same time a glimmering and mistiness came before this eye, accompanied by severe headache on the right side. Two months ago, she could not read with the right eye, and soon after ceased to recognize any one with it. At the time of her appearance at Dr. Graefe's, only a faint per- ception of light was left. Externally, the eye seemed normal. The ophthalmoscope showed upon the retina a round, greenish, bladder- like body—though upward and inward it was drawn out into a * cylindrical continuation—which, by the characteristic motions de- scribed in the preceding case, rendered the diagnosis of cysticercus easy. A light membranous veil seemed to soften the handsome bluish-green color. Where the cylinder joined the bladder, there was a whitish head, which appeared to be alternately stretched out from and drawn into the bladder by means of a neck-piece of vari- able length. How the union of the cylinder with the retina was made, could not be seen. Prolongations of vessels could neither