Cataract-operation, in our time / by E. Landolt ; translation made ... by C.M. Culver.

  • Landolt, E. (Edmond), 1846-1926.
Date:
1892
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Cataract-operation, in our time / by E. Landolt ; translation made ... by C.M. Culver. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    conjunctival flap, those holding different views carefully avoid doing so. Some will perform, as a guarantee of the success of the extraction, an iridectomy, which others consider as more than superfluous. For certain colleagues, the lens capsule will have been suf- ficiently opened only when they have removed a morsel of it by means of forceps; for the majority of operators it suffices that the capsule be cut, with a fine blade, or that it be torn, by means of a delicate point. And when the cataract has been taken out of the eye, with what care does the one operator avoid entering the wound with any instrument whatever, preferring to attempt to remove the residue by massage alone, practised through the lids; while this other operator goes on to scour hardily the hyaloid sac free from the cortical masses that it still contains, using a spatula, and not even fearing to press them out Avith the aid of a strong curette. What is still more, the daring one may practise abun- dant w^ashing of the anterior chamber, which many others con- sider as eminently dangerous. IIow are we to explain this considerable divergence of views (concerning a subject that is, apparently, so simple) among equally competent men who are equally expert and sincere ? Must we conclude that our desire to reach an understanding, in this matter, is premature ? Is the extraction of cataract still a problem that is far from being solved ? Statistics,,which prove this operation to be one of the most successful in surgery, and one which, in the opinion of all, borders on the ideal, exist, to convince us of the contrary. But how does it happen, then, that the same successful result is reached by so different paths ? It must be true that different routes lead to it. Is there, after all, one single, straight road that leads to the destination, and certain of us have found it, while others are straying in by-paths ? That is another question ! If we consider the extreme merit of the colleagues who devote themselves to ocular surgery, it is hardly to be conceded that a small number, among them, have been endowed with a kind of grace; while the others, victims of some strange blindness, grope in comparative obscurity and arrive with difficulty, as