Myopia (commonly called near-sightedness,) in its various phases / by Julian J. Chisholm.

  • Chisolm, Julian John, 1830-1903.
Date:
[1880]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Myopia (commonly called near-sightedness,) in its various phases / by Julian J. Chisholm. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    that among all cultured nations this inherited disease, which the children exhibit before their eyes are taxed with any hard work, was at one time acquired by their progenitors on account of eye abuse. In countries where the eyes are most taxed in early life by forced education, an 1 where this has been going on for some generations, we find marked evidences of the gradual eye deteri- oration, not only in the number of spectacled parents, but also in their young offspring. This state of things augurs badly for the coming generations Luxurious living, and the desire to secure it for their family on the part of some, with the struggle for existence on the part of the masses, induces parents to accept the system of forced education for their very young children, and they prepare them for the great struggle by a very early beginning. In proportion to the study which these young people indulge in, their tendency to have yielding eye-balls is developed. In analyzing with care the eye-sight of a large number of school children, and determining the cause of near-sightedness in connection with their daily mental work, it was discovered that the idle escaped this heavy tax, which bore most heavily upon the most industrious. Let us take the series of public schools in St. Petersburg, where, according to Dr. Erisman, the aggregate of the children start with 13 per cent, of inherited myopia. He selected out of several thousand children all those who studied two hours a day outside of the school-house, and found, by examiration, that among these studious little ones near-sightedness had increased already to 17 percent. Of those who studied four hours out of school, 29 per cent, of them had become near-sighted ; and of the most industrious, who worked at their books six hours at home to ensure perfect marks from their teachers, in their competition for class prizes, over 40 per cent, had injured their eyes, and needed concave glasses for dis- tant vision. All of this serious injury to the eye sight and its ac- companying annoyances, which will continue during the long life time of the individual has been brought about by excessive, therefore, abusing use of the young growing eyes of childhood. This is a very serious exhibit, especially when it is considered that an eye thus injured never recovers from this bulging of its