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International Council of Ophthalmology
270
EDITORIALS
that, prior to the advent of cortisone, corneal perforation and hypopyon ulcer were un heard-of complications in herpes corneae; I have now seen two cortisone-treated cases with hypopyon and have heard of three with corneal perforation. During the past 25 years, there has ac cumulated a great deal of knowledge on the epidemiology, the immunology, and the bio logic and morphologic properties of herpes simplex virus, while little or no progress has been made in the field of therapy. Early hope that aureomycin, or other broad-spectrum antibiotics, would be effective has faded, and attempts at hyperimmunization for the pre vention of recurrences have in general been unsuccessful. The only hope for therapy still rests in the local destruction of the virus in the affected tissues. What are the prospects for therapeutic advance in herpes? Since the typical viruses are intracellular microorganisms, dependent on host cells for their principal metabolic functions, the best hope lies in finding a way to interrupt by chemotherapy some essential process. This technique has, of course, been applied with outstanding success to bacteria, which are free-living, to the Rickettsiae, which are intracellular, and to the atypical viruses of the psittacosis-trachoma-lymphogranuloma venereum group, which are also intracellular. At the time of writing there is, as yet, no clear-cut example of successful chemother apy in a typical virus disease, but the future should not be considered too black. Certainly the importance of virus diseases in general is such that an intensive search for effective chemotherapeutic agents will continue to be made; so far as ophthalmology is concerned no more important problem exists than the virus disease under discussion. While awaiting therapeutic advances, ef forts should be made to interrupt the various trigger mechanisms which are in many cases concerned with recurrences. The use of anti pyretics and antihistaminics is certainly worthy of trial when fever is a precipitating
cause or when such other activating mecha nisms as sunburn, menstruation, emotional crisis, and allergy are known to be concerned. The evidence is now accumulating from both the clinics and the laboratories that cor tisone has a masking effect only in this dis ease. In spite of the fact that herpetic pa tients often feel more comfortable while tak ing cortisone, and that a few isolated reports of favorable effects have appeared, only harm can be expected from its widespread use. There are now on record a number of instances in which dendritic keratitis has de veloped in patients undergoing systemic or topical cortisone therapy, and it should be emphasized that all five of the very severe cases referred to in paragraph three had been cortisone-treated. Phillips Thygeson. INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF OPHTHALMOLOGY The following is a short resume of the main business conducted by the International Council of Ophthalmology at its meeting held in Oxford on July 3 and 4, 1952. There were present Duke-Elder (presi dent—in the chair), Berens (vice-president), Hartmann (secretary), Alvaro (Brazil), Arganaraz (Argentine), Bietti (Italy), Law (Great Britain), Lohlein, (Germany), Sam uels (United States), Velter (France), Bailliart (Committee for the Prevention of Blindness), MacCallan (League against Tra choma). There were in attendance Copper (secre tary for the Indicia), Fritz (secretary for internationalizations), Dunnington (vicepresident of the International Congress 1954). The deaths of van der Hoeve and Kapus cinski were regretfully recorded and the resignations of Tooke and Nakamura re ceived. In their places were elected Charamis (Greece), Duggan (India), and Stuart Ram say (Canada). In the internationalizations of visual standards the questions of the standardiza-
CORRESPONDENCE tion of optotypes, color vision, light sense, visual requirements for transport, and the standardization of tonometry were referred to their respective committees for further study. The study of the requirements for education in ophthalmology in different countries of the world was similarly referred. The future of the Indicia was discussed and it was decided that a more comprehen sive volume should be published at each In ternational Congress, containing, in addition to a directory of ophthalmologists, a list of ophthalmologic hospitals and journals throughout the world, as well as extracts of the minutes and activities of the Interna tional Council. It was suggested that the volume should be sold at each International Congress and that its name should be changed in the interests of linguistic purity to Index Ophthalmologicus. New statutes for the International Federa tion, the International Council, and Interna tional Congresses were further studied; these will be presented to the Federation at the In ternational Congress in New York in 1954. The University of Lausanne is again to present a Gonin Medal at this congress and it was agreed that the recipient chosen by the council should first give a lecture at the University of Lausanne before he receives the award at the International Congress. The treasurer's report showed that a num ber of countries were in considerable arrears in their subscriptions to the International Council. It was confirmed that such countries should not participate in the deliberations of the federation unless their subscriptions were fully paid before 1954. The International Dictionary of Ophthalmological Terms being prepared under the authority of the council will be published in Switzerland by Karger without financial re sponsibility on the part of the council. The following decisions were made with regard to the International Congress of 1954. This congress will be held in the WaldorfAstoria Hotel, New York City, from Sep tember 13 to 17, 1954, inclusive. The three
271
administrative languages will be English, French, and Spanish. The two main subjects for discussion will be: (1) Primary Glau coma—opened by Vail of Chicago (general considerations and etiology), Thiel of Frank fort (medical treatment), Sourdille of Nantes (surgical treatment) ; (2) Etiology of Uveitis—opened by Woods of Baltimore (general considerations), Ashton of London (allergic factors), and Cavara of Rome (the role of viruses). The subscriptions for the congress will be: for those living outside the North American continent, full members 15 United States dol lars; associate and scientific associate mem bers, five United States dollars. The sub scription for those living within the North American continent will be fixed by the Am erican committee organizing the congress. The next meeting of the council was fixed for Paris on June 20, 1953. ( NOTE. It may not be universally known that the International Federation is made up of a delegate from each national society and meets at each International Congress; the Interna tional Council is appointed by the Interna tional Federation and acts as its executive body.) E. Hartmann, Secretary.
XVII INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF OPHTHALMOLOGY September 13 through September 17, 1954 New York City Waldorf-Astoria Hotel Subjects for discussion: Glaucoma and Uveitis
CORRESPONDENCE RETROLENTAL FIBROPLASIA IN NEGROES
Editor, American Journal of Ophthalmology : In the excellent review article by Dr. Leona Zacharias (AMERICAN JOURNAL OF
EDITORIALS
that, prior to the advent of cortisone, corneal perforation and hypopyon ulcer were un heard-of complications in herpes corneae; I have now seen two cortisone-treated cases with hypopyon and have heard of three with corneal perforation. During the past 25 years, there has ac cumulated a great deal of knowledge on the epidemiology, the immunology, and the bio logic and morphologic properties of herpes simplex virus, while little or no progress has been made in the field of therapy. Early hope that aureomycin, or other broad-spectrum antibiotics, would be effective has faded, and attempts at hyperimmunization for the pre vention of recurrences have in general been unsuccessful. The only hope for therapy still rests in the local destruction of the virus in the affected tissues. What are the prospects for therapeutic advance in herpes? Since the typical viruses are intracellular microorganisms, dependent on host cells for their principal metabolic functions, the best hope lies in finding a way to interrupt by chemotherapy some essential process. This technique has, of course, been applied with outstanding success to bacteria, which are free-living, to the Rickettsiae, which are intracellular, and to the atypical viruses of the psittacosis-trachoma-lymphogranuloma venereum group, which are also intracellular. At the time of writing there is, as yet, no clear-cut example of successful chemother apy in a typical virus disease, but the future should not be considered too black. Certainly the importance of virus diseases in general is such that an intensive search for effective chemotherapeutic agents will continue to be made; so far as ophthalmology is concerned no more important problem exists than the virus disease under discussion. While awaiting therapeutic advances, ef forts should be made to interrupt the various trigger mechanisms which are in many cases concerned with recurrences. The use of anti pyretics and antihistaminics is certainly worthy of trial when fever is a precipitating
cause or when such other activating mecha nisms as sunburn, menstruation, emotional crisis, and allergy are known to be concerned. The evidence is now accumulating from both the clinics and the laboratories that cor tisone has a masking effect only in this dis ease. In spite of the fact that herpetic pa tients often feel more comfortable while tak ing cortisone, and that a few isolated reports of favorable effects have appeared, only harm can be expected from its widespread use. There are now on record a number of instances in which dendritic keratitis has de veloped in patients undergoing systemic or topical cortisone therapy, and it should be emphasized that all five of the very severe cases referred to in paragraph three had been cortisone-treated. Phillips Thygeson. INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF OPHTHALMOLOGY The following is a short resume of the main business conducted by the International Council of Ophthalmology at its meeting held in Oxford on July 3 and 4, 1952. There were present Duke-Elder (presi dent—in the chair), Berens (vice-president), Hartmann (secretary), Alvaro (Brazil), Arganaraz (Argentine), Bietti (Italy), Law (Great Britain), Lohlein, (Germany), Sam uels (United States), Velter (France), Bailliart (Committee for the Prevention of Blindness), MacCallan (League against Tra choma). There were in attendance Copper (secre tary for the Indicia), Fritz (secretary for internationalizations), Dunnington (vicepresident of the International Congress 1954). The deaths of van der Hoeve and Kapus cinski were regretfully recorded and the resignations of Tooke and Nakamura re ceived. In their places were elected Charamis (Greece), Duggan (India), and Stuart Ram say (Canada). In the internationalizations of visual standards the questions of the standardiza-
CORRESPONDENCE tion of optotypes, color vision, light sense, visual requirements for transport, and the standardization of tonometry were referred to their respective committees for further study. The study of the requirements for education in ophthalmology in different countries of the world was similarly referred. The future of the Indicia was discussed and it was decided that a more comprehen sive volume should be published at each In ternational Congress, containing, in addition to a directory of ophthalmologists, a list of ophthalmologic hospitals and journals throughout the world, as well as extracts of the minutes and activities of the Interna tional Council. It was suggested that the volume should be sold at each International Congress and that its name should be changed in the interests of linguistic purity to Index Ophthalmologicus. New statutes for the International Federa tion, the International Council, and Interna tional Congresses were further studied; these will be presented to the Federation at the In ternational Congress in New York in 1954. The University of Lausanne is again to present a Gonin Medal at this congress and it was agreed that the recipient chosen by the council should first give a lecture at the University of Lausanne before he receives the award at the International Congress. The treasurer's report showed that a num ber of countries were in considerable arrears in their subscriptions to the International Council. It was confirmed that such countries should not participate in the deliberations of the federation unless their subscriptions were fully paid before 1954. The International Dictionary of Ophthalmological Terms being prepared under the authority of the council will be published in Switzerland by Karger without financial re sponsibility on the part of the council. The following decisions were made with regard to the International Congress of 1954. This congress will be held in the WaldorfAstoria Hotel, New York City, from Sep tember 13 to 17, 1954, inclusive. The three
271
administrative languages will be English, French, and Spanish. The two main subjects for discussion will be: (1) Primary Glau coma—opened by Vail of Chicago (general considerations and etiology), Thiel of Frank fort (medical treatment), Sourdille of Nantes (surgical treatment) ; (2) Etiology of Uveitis—opened by Woods of Baltimore (general considerations), Ashton of London (allergic factors), and Cavara of Rome (the role of viruses). The subscriptions for the congress will be: for those living outside the North American continent, full members 15 United States dol lars; associate and scientific associate mem bers, five United States dollars. The sub scription for those living within the North American continent will be fixed by the Am erican committee organizing the congress. The next meeting of the council was fixed for Paris on June 20, 1953. ( NOTE. It may not be universally known that the International Federation is made up of a delegate from each national society and meets at each International Congress; the Interna tional Council is appointed by the Interna tional Federation and acts as its executive body.) E. Hartmann, Secretary.
XVII INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF OPHTHALMOLOGY September 13 through September 17, 1954 New York City Waldorf-Astoria Hotel Subjects for discussion: Glaucoma and Uveitis
CORRESPONDENCE RETROLENTAL FIBROPLASIA IN NEGROES
Editor, American Journal of Ophthalmology : In the excellent review article by Dr. Leona Zacharias (AMERICAN JOURNAL OF