The Hunterian Lecture on tuberculosis of the conjunctiva : its etiology, pathology, and diagnosis / by John W. H. Eyre.

  • Eyre, J. W. H. (John William Henry), 1869-
Date:
[1912]
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Licence: In copyright

Credit: The Hunterian Lecture on tuberculosis of the conjunctiva : its etiology, pathology, and diagnosis / by John W. H. Eyre. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by UCL Library Services. The original may be consulted at UCL (University College London)

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    Age.— The age limits within which cases of tuberculosis of the conjunctiva occur are extremely wide. No less than four patients in this series were under 12 months—-namely, one recorded here by myself at six months, one by Del Monte at eight months, others by Ulrich and myself at 10 months. At the other extreme are cases by Terson, 71, and Hochheim, 76 years. Still, just as in other localised forms of tubercu- losis, its onset is usually during childhood and early adult life, 57 cases occurring during the first ten-year period and 81 during the second, and is most marked at or about puberty. Eye affected.—In this series of 206 cases the eye which was the seat of the lesion is not recorded in 24 instances; of the remaining 182 the right eye was the affected one in 44' 5 per cent, and the left in 43 - 4 per cent., so that neither eye can be said to be more frequently attacked than its fellow, since the figures are practically equal. It is exceed- ingly uncommon for both eyes to be affected ; only 22 such cases have been recorded, or 12 ■ 1 per cent, of the series, as against 87- 9 per cent, where one eye only suffered. Bight eye 81 Left eye 79 Both eyes 22 Not specified 24 206 Situation of the lesion.—In 7 cases the seat of the lesion is not specified. The situation of the lesion in the remainder is as follows :— Conjunctiva of upper lid 62 ,, lower lid ... 30 both lids 59 Bulbar conjunctiva 31 H ,, and both lids 12 „ „ ,, lower lid 4 upper lid 1 Not specified 7 206 It would therefore appear that the conjunctiva of the upper lid—the favourite spot for the lodgment of a foreign body be it noted—was that most frequently selected for attack by the bacillus tuberculosis. Next in order of frequency both lids were involved when the patient first came under observation, and it is only fair, I think, to assume that one lid was infected at a date prior to the other, and probably the ratio of about 2 : 1 in favour of the upper lid would hold good in these, so that qua site of