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Louisa Lee Schuyler
EDITORIALS
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the attention of most ophthalmologists. is now being forced on our attention. The The correction of errors of refraction be- improvement of ocular movements decame their chief occupation, and the views pends but little on getting stronger musof Dyer easily forgotten. Outside of cles. It has more to do with improvement America very little attention has been paid of coordinations, with better nerve paths; and these are developed by the exercise to them. Since then, Stevens started an era of of voluntary nerve impulses. It is probheterophorias, to be cured by graduated able that in South Africa the proportion tenotomy. Maddox invented his double of people who strain their eyes by using prism and rod for testing the muscle bal- poor light for reading and fine needle ance. Treacher Collins pointed out that we work is smaller than in this country or owed our binocular vision and binocular Europe. movements to our "arboreal ancestors." On the other hand, the number who Professor Elliot Smith found that with have not trained their eyes in childhood binocular vision and movements came the to quick, accurate movements by games development of the macula in the retina, and mechanical handicrafts may be larger. and the cerebral convolutions of the hu- But in America we have a certain number man brain. Miss Ida Mann and others of asthenopic patients and cases of miascertained that the macula and the co- graine that are not relieved by correcting ordination of binocular movements have lenses. For these, prisms have often given to be developed after birth. Harlan relief in the past; and the method worked pointed out that myopia began and was out by Stutterheim should not be ignored. made progressive by excessive converThe eye physician does not like to adopt gence. Snell has found in his early my- a method that will require his daily, or opia cases that there is a tendency to ex- frequent attention. He would rather put it cessive convergence. in the hands of a technician trained to do Now comes Stutterheim with his hook the work. But the general experience with on "Eyestrain and convergence" (see this orthoptic training for muscular anomaJournal, 1938, p. 77), and a new method lies seems to show that educational of removing the eyestrain by a new sys- methods to establish and perfect binocular tem of exercise that will strengthen the movements and coordinations are most extraocular muscles and cure the astheno- successful when carried out under the convergence. He has found, although ad- immediate care and encouragement of the mitting that correction of ametropia is the physician who prescribes them. Dyer larger part of the work of an eye physi- found the asthenopia he recognized to be cian, that eyestrain is closely connected chiefly confined to the upper social classes. with convergence. We, who have thought The nervous readjustment of such people of it as chiefly depending on anomalies of often depends wholly on the personality refraction and accommodation, will have and determination of the physician in to reconsider this, and think of asthenopia whom they have confidence. as due to anomalies of "relative accomEdward Jackson. modation" and convergence. The method of exercises with prisms LOUISA LEE SCHUYLER seems reasonable and rather simple. Ophthalmology has pioneered in many Noyes practised it thirty years ago. It certainly is worthy of further trial, and fields, but in none more significantly than more likely to give relief than the stereo- in that of preventive medicine. One hundred years ago was born scopic and more elaborate machinery that
204
BOOK NOTICES
Louisa Lee Schuyler, an exceptional woman with vision far beyond the ordinary, who made such important contributions to the prevention of blindness that shortly before her death she was selected by the National Society for the Prevention of Blindness, of which she was one of the founders, to be the recipient of the Dana Medal for outstanding contributions in this field. It is fitting that more than passing notice of this anniversary of her birth should be taken. Miss Schuyler had been actively interested in matters of social welfare for many years when in 1908 she read an extensive report by Dr. Park Lewis on the condition of the blind in New York State. Twenty pages of this report had to do with the prevention of blindness, and of particular significance to her was the statement that a large part of the existent blindness could be avoided. She focused her attention on one feature, that of the unnecessary blindness caused by ophthalmia neonatorum. She appealed to Dr. Lewis to point out to her what she could do to help, and within six weeks she had organized the New York State Committee for the Prevention of Blindness and had succeeded in getting a subsidy of $5,000 from the Russell Sage Foundation. The first efforts of the organization were directed towards disseminating the knowledge of the prophylactic action of silver nitrate in preventing gonorrheal ophthalmia when instilled into the eyes of babies at birth. Very quickly other possibilities for blindness prevention were recognized, and the committee entered upon other tasks. In 1915 the name of this committee was changed to The National Committee for the Prevention of Blindness, and its scope was enlarged to fit the name. In 1928 the National Committee became the National Society, and one year later was instrumental in organizing the International Association for the Prevention of Blindness.
Other achievements of this remarkable woman were the founding of the New York State Charities Aid Association; establishing the system of state care for the insane in New York; and aiding the establishment of the first training school for nurses at Bellevue Hospital. In 1915 she was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws at Columbia University. She was a remarkable figure, and a tribute should be paid to her on her hundredth anniversary. Lawrence T. Post.
BOOK NOTICES STUDIES OF THE VIII NERVE. By the Research Study Club of Los Angeles. Clothbound, 268 pages, illustrated. St. Louis, Laryngoscope Press, 1937. The fifteen papers composing this symposium, were written by fourteen authors; some by two in collaboration. They have for the most part been published in the Laryngoscope; although one comes from the Transactions of the American Ophthalmological Society. Two of the papers, on "Lesions of the cerebellum," 48 pages, and on "Flying blind," 15 pages, with the Foreword, on the history of the Research Study Club, have not previously been published. The volume is in good type, well printed, and neatly and substantially bound. It will all be of interest to those who practice both ophthalmology and otolaryngology, and has some features that will interest those who practice only ophthalmology. The eighth nerve has been so designated only in the last century. Before that it was called the nervus acousticus; or, as Winslow called it, the portio mol/is of the seventh cranial nerve, the facial nerve being the portio dura. In general, throughout medical literature, it has been called the auditory nerve; and the ear has been recognized as only an organ of
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the attention of most ophthalmologists. is now being forced on our attention. The The correction of errors of refraction be- improvement of ocular movements decame their chief occupation, and the views pends but little on getting stronger musof Dyer easily forgotten. Outside of cles. It has more to do with improvement America very little attention has been paid of coordinations, with better nerve paths; and these are developed by the exercise to them. Since then, Stevens started an era of of voluntary nerve impulses. It is probheterophorias, to be cured by graduated able that in South Africa the proportion tenotomy. Maddox invented his double of people who strain their eyes by using prism and rod for testing the muscle bal- poor light for reading and fine needle ance. Treacher Collins pointed out that we work is smaller than in this country or owed our binocular vision and binocular Europe. movements to our "arboreal ancestors." On the other hand, the number who Professor Elliot Smith found that with have not trained their eyes in childhood binocular vision and movements came the to quick, accurate movements by games development of the macula in the retina, and mechanical handicrafts may be larger. and the cerebral convolutions of the hu- But in America we have a certain number man brain. Miss Ida Mann and others of asthenopic patients and cases of miascertained that the macula and the co- graine that are not relieved by correcting ordination of binocular movements have lenses. For these, prisms have often given to be developed after birth. Harlan relief in the past; and the method worked pointed out that myopia began and was out by Stutterheim should not be ignored. made progressive by excessive converThe eye physician does not like to adopt gence. Snell has found in his early my- a method that will require his daily, or opia cases that there is a tendency to ex- frequent attention. He would rather put it cessive convergence. in the hands of a technician trained to do Now comes Stutterheim with his hook the work. But the general experience with on "Eyestrain and convergence" (see this orthoptic training for muscular anomaJournal, 1938, p. 77), and a new method lies seems to show that educational of removing the eyestrain by a new sys- methods to establish and perfect binocular tem of exercise that will strengthen the movements and coordinations are most extraocular muscles and cure the astheno- successful when carried out under the convergence. He has found, although ad- immediate care and encouragement of the mitting that correction of ametropia is the physician who prescribes them. Dyer larger part of the work of an eye physi- found the asthenopia he recognized to be cian, that eyestrain is closely connected chiefly confined to the upper social classes. with convergence. We, who have thought The nervous readjustment of such people of it as chiefly depending on anomalies of often depends wholly on the personality refraction and accommodation, will have and determination of the physician in to reconsider this, and think of asthenopia whom they have confidence. as due to anomalies of "relative accomEdward Jackson. modation" and convergence. The method of exercises with prisms LOUISA LEE SCHUYLER seems reasonable and rather simple. Ophthalmology has pioneered in many Noyes practised it thirty years ago. It certainly is worthy of further trial, and fields, but in none more significantly than more likely to give relief than the stereo- in that of preventive medicine. One hundred years ago was born scopic and more elaborate machinery that
204
BOOK NOTICES
Louisa Lee Schuyler, an exceptional woman with vision far beyond the ordinary, who made such important contributions to the prevention of blindness that shortly before her death she was selected by the National Society for the Prevention of Blindness, of which she was one of the founders, to be the recipient of the Dana Medal for outstanding contributions in this field. It is fitting that more than passing notice of this anniversary of her birth should be taken. Miss Schuyler had been actively interested in matters of social welfare for many years when in 1908 she read an extensive report by Dr. Park Lewis on the condition of the blind in New York State. Twenty pages of this report had to do with the prevention of blindness, and of particular significance to her was the statement that a large part of the existent blindness could be avoided. She focused her attention on one feature, that of the unnecessary blindness caused by ophthalmia neonatorum. She appealed to Dr. Lewis to point out to her what she could do to help, and within six weeks she had organized the New York State Committee for the Prevention of Blindness and had succeeded in getting a subsidy of $5,000 from the Russell Sage Foundation. The first efforts of the organization were directed towards disseminating the knowledge of the prophylactic action of silver nitrate in preventing gonorrheal ophthalmia when instilled into the eyes of babies at birth. Very quickly other possibilities for blindness prevention were recognized, and the committee entered upon other tasks. In 1915 the name of this committee was changed to The National Committee for the Prevention of Blindness, and its scope was enlarged to fit the name. In 1928 the National Committee became the National Society, and one year later was instrumental in organizing the International Association for the Prevention of Blindness.
Other achievements of this remarkable woman were the founding of the New York State Charities Aid Association; establishing the system of state care for the insane in New York; and aiding the establishment of the first training school for nurses at Bellevue Hospital. In 1915 she was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws at Columbia University. She was a remarkable figure, and a tribute should be paid to her on her hundredth anniversary. Lawrence T. Post.
BOOK NOTICES STUDIES OF THE VIII NERVE. By the Research Study Club of Los Angeles. Clothbound, 268 pages, illustrated. St. Louis, Laryngoscope Press, 1937. The fifteen papers composing this symposium, were written by fourteen authors; some by two in collaboration. They have for the most part been published in the Laryngoscope; although one comes from the Transactions of the American Ophthalmological Society. Two of the papers, on "Lesions of the cerebellum," 48 pages, and on "Flying blind," 15 pages, with the Foreword, on the history of the Research Study Club, have not previously been published. The volume is in good type, well printed, and neatly and substantially bound. It will all be of interest to those who practice both ophthalmology and otolaryngology, and has some features that will interest those who practice only ophthalmology. The eighth nerve has been so designated only in the last century. Before that it was called the nervus acousticus; or, as Winslow called it, the portio mol/is of the seventh cranial nerve, the facial nerve being the portio dura. In general, throughout medical literature, it has been called the auditory nerve; and the ear has been recognized as only an organ of