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Bertha A. Klien, M.D. 1898–1978
OBITUARY
VOL. 87, NO. 3 VI VII VIII IX X XI XII XIII XIV XV XVI XVII XVIII XIX XX XXI XXII XXIII
1880 1880 1894 1900 1904 1909 1914 1929 1933 1937 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978
Milan Heidelberg Edinburgh Utrecht Lucerne Naples St. Petersburg Amsterdam Madrid Cairo London New York City/Montreal Brussels New Delhi Munich Mexico City Paris Kyoto F R A N K W.
NEWELL
OBITUARY B E R T H A A. K L I E N ,
M.D.
1898-1978 Bertha A. Klien, M.D., a member of the editorial board of the AMERICAN JOUR NAL O F O P H T H A L M O L O G Y since 1959 and emeritus professor of ophthalmology at the University of Chicago, died suddenly Dec. 28, 1978, in Tucson, Arizona, where she lived after retirement from the Uni versity of Chicago. Dr. Klien was born in Burgo, Austria, and received the doctor of medicine degree from the University of Vienna in 1925. After internship at the Allgemeines Krankenhaus in Vienna, she became an assistant at the I Augenklinik of the University of Vienna. In 1928 she became assistant professor of ophthal mology at Northwestern University and subsequently served as associate profes sor or ophthalmology at Rush Medical College, University of Illinois, and Northwestern University. In 1955 she be came associate professor of ophthalmolo gy at the University of Chicago and full professor in 1959. On her retirement she was named emeritus professor of ophthal mology. At various times she served as
431
attending ophthalmologist at Presbyteri an Hospital, Wesley Memorial Hospital, and the University of Chicago Medical Center. Dr. Klien specialized in correlating the opthalmoscopic appearance of ocular le sions with their course and histologic findings. She was an outstanding teacher and artist and her scientific exhibits at the American Medical Association annual meetings were awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals. With the late Alex Krill, she provided the first and thus far the only clinical, histologic correlation of fundus flavimaculatus. She became a diplomate of the Ameri can Board of Ophthalmology in 1938. She was awarded the Honor Key of the Ameri can Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology in 1957. In 1963 she was president of both the Chicago Ophthalmological Society and the Verhoeff Socie ty. At the time of her death she served on
Bertha A. Klien, M.D.
432
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
the editorial boards
ogica" and
of
"Ophthalmol-
T H E AMERICAN JOURNAL OF
O P H T H A L M O L O G Y . Earlier she served as a section editor of the "Survey of Oph thalmology" and prepared reviews on the retina and optic nerve for the "Archives of Ophthalmology" in 1960,1961, and 1962. Dr. Klien remained scientifically active until her death. She reviewed fundus slides for staff members of the University of Chicago and participated in JOURNAL editorial activities. She was a skilled pi anist, read widely in philosophy and his tory, and was a knowledgeable, sympa thetic consultant. She is survived by her husband William F. Moncreiff and her brother. FRANK W. N E W E L L
CORRESPONDENCE Letters to the Editor must be typed double-spaced on 8V2 x 11-inch bond paper, with 1 V2-inch margins on all four sides, and limited in length to two man uscript pages.
MARCH, 1979
tensifier viewer can also be used satisfac torily for routine transscleral transillumination testing in which abnormalities of the posterior segment of the globe create a shadow in the normal round homoge neous pupillary glow. I am likewise using these two viewing instruments success fully in conjunction with indirect ophthalmoscopy, in simple choroidoscopy, 1 and in biomicroscopic choroidoscopy, 2 whereby choroidal structures, hemor rhages, pigmented nevi, and melanotic tumors are well brought out, even through hazy media. SAMUEL W. C O H E N ,
M.D.
Brooklyn, New York REFERENCES 1. Cohen, S. VV.: Choroidoscopy. Am. J. Ophthal mol. 51:833, 1961. 2. Cohen, S. W., Banko, VV., and Cohen, H. H.: Biomicroscopical choroidoscopy. Arch. Ophthal mol. 94:1618, 1976.
Amaurosis and Blood Loss Infrared Viewer and Image Intensifier Editor: Previously I described testing of Bell's phenomenon through the closed eyelids using transocular, transcutaneous transillumination (Testing of Bell's phenome non, Am. J. Ophthalmol. 84:735, 1977). This technique is useful in patients with white or lightly pigmented skin, but in darkly pigmented individuals the pupil lary glow transmitted through the skin may sometimes be difficult to see. How ever, if one uses an infrared viewing instrument or an image intensifier viewer, such as that used for night vision surveil lance, which provides a luminous gain of 50,000 times (both available from Velotron Corporation, 6517 Fort Hamilton Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11219), the pupil lary glow is easily visible. The infrared viewer and the image in
Editor: In reviewing the article, "Amaurosis and Blood Loss," by K. M. Klewin, R. E. Appen, and P. L. Kaufman, the authors apparently omitted several diagnostic possibilities and important avenues of investigation. Certainly one possibility not even mentioned in the article is the likelihood of nutritional amblyopia in this chronic alcoholic and obviously poorly nourished patient of long dura tion. Another possibility based both on dietary history and the history of gastro intestinal surgery is the possibility of pernicious anemia. Serum B-12 and folate levels, and a search for heavy metal intox ication may have been fruitful. Methanol abuse is another possibility in the consid eration of drug abuse. No description of the peripheral blood smear was given, no red blood cell indices were noted, and no bone marrow examination was per-
VOL. 87, NO. 3 VI VII VIII IX X XI XII XIII XIV XV XVI XVII XVIII XIX XX XXI XXII XXIII
1880 1880 1894 1900 1904 1909 1914 1929 1933 1937 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978
Milan Heidelberg Edinburgh Utrecht Lucerne Naples St. Petersburg Amsterdam Madrid Cairo London New York City/Montreal Brussels New Delhi Munich Mexico City Paris Kyoto F R A N K W.
NEWELL
OBITUARY B E R T H A A. K L I E N ,
M.D.
1898-1978 Bertha A. Klien, M.D., a member of the editorial board of the AMERICAN JOUR NAL O F O P H T H A L M O L O G Y since 1959 and emeritus professor of ophthalmology at the University of Chicago, died suddenly Dec. 28, 1978, in Tucson, Arizona, where she lived after retirement from the Uni versity of Chicago. Dr. Klien was born in Burgo, Austria, and received the doctor of medicine degree from the University of Vienna in 1925. After internship at the Allgemeines Krankenhaus in Vienna, she became an assistant at the I Augenklinik of the University of Vienna. In 1928 she became assistant professor of ophthal mology at Northwestern University and subsequently served as associate profes sor or ophthalmology at Rush Medical College, University of Illinois, and Northwestern University. In 1955 she be came associate professor of ophthalmolo gy at the University of Chicago and full professor in 1959. On her retirement she was named emeritus professor of ophthal mology. At various times she served as
431
attending ophthalmologist at Presbyteri an Hospital, Wesley Memorial Hospital, and the University of Chicago Medical Center. Dr. Klien specialized in correlating the opthalmoscopic appearance of ocular le sions with their course and histologic findings. She was an outstanding teacher and artist and her scientific exhibits at the American Medical Association annual meetings were awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals. With the late Alex Krill, she provided the first and thus far the only clinical, histologic correlation of fundus flavimaculatus. She became a diplomate of the Ameri can Board of Ophthalmology in 1938. She was awarded the Honor Key of the Ameri can Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology in 1957. In 1963 she was president of both the Chicago Ophthalmological Society and the Verhoeff Socie ty. At the time of her death she served on
Bertha A. Klien, M.D.
432
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
the editorial boards
ogica" and
of
"Ophthalmol-
T H E AMERICAN JOURNAL OF
O P H T H A L M O L O G Y . Earlier she served as a section editor of the "Survey of Oph thalmology" and prepared reviews on the retina and optic nerve for the "Archives of Ophthalmology" in 1960,1961, and 1962. Dr. Klien remained scientifically active until her death. She reviewed fundus slides for staff members of the University of Chicago and participated in JOURNAL editorial activities. She was a skilled pi anist, read widely in philosophy and his tory, and was a knowledgeable, sympa thetic consultant. She is survived by her husband William F. Moncreiff and her brother. FRANK W. N E W E L L
CORRESPONDENCE Letters to the Editor must be typed double-spaced on 8V2 x 11-inch bond paper, with 1 V2-inch margins on all four sides, and limited in length to two man uscript pages.
MARCH, 1979
tensifier viewer can also be used satisfac torily for routine transscleral transillumination testing in which abnormalities of the posterior segment of the globe create a shadow in the normal round homoge neous pupillary glow. I am likewise using these two viewing instruments success fully in conjunction with indirect ophthalmoscopy, in simple choroidoscopy, 1 and in biomicroscopic choroidoscopy, 2 whereby choroidal structures, hemor rhages, pigmented nevi, and melanotic tumors are well brought out, even through hazy media. SAMUEL W. C O H E N ,
M.D.
Brooklyn, New York REFERENCES 1. Cohen, S. VV.: Choroidoscopy. Am. J. Ophthal mol. 51:833, 1961. 2. Cohen, S. W., Banko, VV., and Cohen, H. H.: Biomicroscopical choroidoscopy. Arch. Ophthal mol. 94:1618, 1976.
Amaurosis and Blood Loss Infrared Viewer and Image Intensifier Editor: Previously I described testing of Bell's phenomenon through the closed eyelids using transocular, transcutaneous transillumination (Testing of Bell's phenome non, Am. J. Ophthalmol. 84:735, 1977). This technique is useful in patients with white or lightly pigmented skin, but in darkly pigmented individuals the pupil lary glow transmitted through the skin may sometimes be difficult to see. How ever, if one uses an infrared viewing instrument or an image intensifier viewer, such as that used for night vision surveil lance, which provides a luminous gain of 50,000 times (both available from Velotron Corporation, 6517 Fort Hamilton Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11219), the pupil lary glow is easily visible. The infrared viewer and the image in
Editor: In reviewing the article, "Amaurosis and Blood Loss," by K. M. Klewin, R. E. Appen, and P. L. Kaufman, the authors apparently omitted several diagnostic possibilities and important avenues of investigation. Certainly one possibility not even mentioned in the article is the likelihood of nutritional amblyopia in this chronic alcoholic and obviously poorly nourished patient of long dura tion. Another possibility based both on dietary history and the history of gastro intestinal surgery is the possibility of pernicious anemia. Serum B-12 and folate levels, and a search for heavy metal intox ication may have been fruitful. Methanol abuse is another possibility in the consid eration of drug abuse. No description of the peripheral blood smear was given, no red blood cell indices were noted, and no bone marrow examination was per-