AMERICAN
JOURNAL
Publuhed
Monthly
OF
by the Ophthalmic EDITORIAL
OPHTHALMOLOGY Publishing
Company
STAFF
DERRICK V A I L , Editor in-Chief 700 N o r t h M i c h i g a n A v e n u e , C h i c a g o 11
BERTHA A. KLIEN
F R A N C I S H E E D A D L E R , Consulting
JAMES E. LEBENSOHN
950 E a s t 59th Street, C h i c a g o 37
Editor
313 S o u t h 17th Street, Philadelphia 3 A L A N C. W O O D S , Consulting Editor J o h n s H o p k i n s Hospital, Baltimore 5
4010 W e s t M a d i s o n Street, C h i c a g o 2 4 D O N A L D J. L Y L E
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A. EDWARD M A U M E N E E
IS Second Street, S . W . , Rochester, Minnesota
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STEWART D U K E - E L D E R
FRANK W. NEWELL
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MANN
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FERGUSON
CHALKLEY,
Manuscript
Editor
L a k e Geneva, W i s c o n s i n Directors: W I L L I A M L . B E N E D I C T , P r e s i d e n t ; F R E D E R I C K C. CORDES, V i c e - P r e s i d e n t ; W I L L I A M A . M A N N , S e c r e t a r y a n d T r e a s u r e r ; A L G E R N O N B . R E E S E , D E R R I C K V A I L , A L A N C. W O O D S .
Address original papers, other scientific communications including correspondence, also books f o r review to Dr. Derrick Vail, 700 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago 11, Illinois; Society P r o c e e d i n g s t o Mrs. Katherine F. Chalkley, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Manuscripts should be original copies, typed i n double space, w i t h w i d e margins. Haessler, 12 Apple Tree E x c h a n g e copies o f the medical journals should be sent to Dr. F. Herbert Lane, Alamo, California. Subscriptions, application f o r single copies, notices o f c h a n g e s o f address, and communications with and Advertising, 664 North reference to advertising should be addressed t o the Manager of Subscriptions Michinan Avenue, Chicago 11, Illinois. N o t i c e o f change of address m u s t be received a t least 6 0 days in advance and Change of address. must include both old and n e w addresses. Claims for copies lost in the mails must be received w i t h i n 3 0 days f r o m the date o f issue f o r domestic subscribers a n d within 6 0 days f o r f o r e i g n subscribers. Advertisement insertion orders and copy must be received b y the manager by the 10th o f the month preceding t h e issue f o r w h i c h the advertisement is scheduled. Editor, Author's proof s should be corrected a n d returned within forty-eight hours t o the Manuscript F. Chalkley, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. F i f t y reprints o f each article will be supplied t o Mrs. Katherine the author w i t h o u t charge. Additional reprints m a y be obtained from the printer, G e o r g e B a n t a Company, Inc., Curtis Reed P l a z a , Menasha, W i s c o n s i n , i f ordered at the time p r o o f s a r e returned. B u t reprints to contain colored plates must be ordered w h e n the article is accepted.
THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPHTHALMOLOGY A N D O T O L A R Y N G O L O G Y : 1962 After nearly two decades of annual meetings in Chicago, with a single diversion to N e w York for the 1954 International Congress, the American Academy broke with the past in spectacular fashion and held the 67th annual session at Las Vegas, Nevada, N o -
vember 4 through 9, 1962. Under the leadership of Boies (Minneapolis), assisted by vice presidents Hughes (Hempstead), Lindsay (Chicago) and Burian (Iowa City), an attractive, well-attended scientific meeting developed. The Convention Center of Las Vegas houses a large arena-type meeting hall which was arranged auditorium-style with chairs on the main floor. Immediately adjacent to the
1155
EDITORIAL
the need for surgery, preferably a filtering procedure. Kronfeld (Chicago) discussed the desirability of establishing a communication "between the anterior and posterior chambers by means of iridectomy in nearly all instances of angle-closure glaucoma. Chandler (Boston) described four different types of glaucoma which may complicate aphakia and was a much stronger proponent for very early surgical intervention in patients with a flat anterior chamber following cataract surgery than were the other panelists. McLean ( N e w York) presented the 19th annual Jackson Memorial Lecture and comprehensively discussed "Oculomycosis." H e emphasized the importance of considering fungus infections whenever ophthalmic inflammatory disease persisted for a long period. He described instances of retinitis with a grayish inflammatory mass in the vitreous, suggestive of Coats' disease but without neovascularization, in which the lesion improved with therapy with fungicidal compounds when all other agents had proved ineffective. Iliff (Baltimore) chaired an interesting question and answer session concerning corneal transplantation, with Hughes (Chicago), Castroviejo ( N e w York), Zimmerman (Washington, D.C.) and King (Washington, D . C ) , fielding a wide variety of questions concerning indications for surgery, for penetrating and lamellar grafts, anesthesia and the like. The chairman had arranged for simultaneous projection of the question on a side screen with clinical and microscopic photographs on a center screen correlated with the panelists' answers, and it was a most stimulating session. The free papers and motion pictures scheduled by the secretary for ophthalmology, Roper (Chicago), were of uniformly good quality. At the annual business meeting the members voted annual dues of $30.00. Ruedemann, Sr., (Detroit) was elected president and Lindsay (Chicago) was named president-elect. Hilding (Duluth), Braley (Iowa
City) and Tremble (Montreal) were elected vice presidents. Adler (Philadelphia) was named councillor. Benedict (Rochester) was re-elected editor of the Transactions and executive secretary-treasurer. The 1963 annual meeting will be held October 20th through the 25th at the New York Hilton Hotel, N e w York City. Frank W . Newell.
BOOK R E V I E W S I N T E R N A T I O N A L R E V I E W OF CYTOLOGY:
VOL-
U M E II. Edited by G. H. Bourne and J. F . Danielli. N e w York, Academic Press, 1961. Price: $11.00. In the century and a quarter since Schleiden and Schwann advanced their cell theory, the study of cell structure and function has become basic to the understanding of physiologic processes. The literature on cell biology has correspondingly expanded and in 1952 the International Review of Cytology was begun. In the past decade the significant advances in cell morphology and microchemistry have appeared in this annual review. Volume II for 1961 continues this vital publishing activity and has special significance for the ophthalmologist because of the inclusion of two sections on the eye. A chapter on the cytology of the developing eye by A. J. Coulombre discusses the cellular structure of each structure in the embryonic eye and thus rounds out the usual embryologie studies. A second section of photoreceptor substances by J. J. Wolken reviews the molecular arrangement of plant and animal photoreceptors. Interesting enough, these are all characterized by a lamellar structure with molecular dimensions of from 50 to 200 Ä. Basic ophthalmic physiologists will also be interested in a section on the fine structure of insect compound eyes. Again the electron microscope shows itself to be a great new tool for the study of fine cellular structures.
1156
BOOK
T h i s v o l u m e is available in m o s t medical libraries a n d d e s e r v e s perusal.
R E V I E W S
principle that a flashing light is m o r e easily seen against a bright b a c k g r o u n d if colored,
David Shoch.
obtained accurate sensitivity c u r v e s f o r the red, green a n d blue m e c h a n i s m s , respectively. H.
All this supports the conclusion that there
Springfield, 111.
are three visual p i g m e n t s , each connected to
Charles C T h o m a s , 1 9 6 2 . 3 8 p a g e s plus
a separate cone output, an idea first p r o p o s e d
ix, 16 figures, bibliography. P r i c e : $ 3 . 7 5 .
by T h o m a s Y o u n g in 1802.
VISUAL
PIGMENTS
Rushton,
Sc.D.,
IN
MAN.
F.R.S.
By
W.
A.
In this S h e r r i n g t o n Lecture, R u s h t o n , the distinguished p h y s i o l o g i s t o f the U n i v e r s i t y of Cambridge, interprets the results of recent refined e x p e r i m e n t s o n the nature of the visual p i g m e n t s in the h u m a n e y e . H i s scientific p r o f u n d i t y is, a s usual, presented with clarity and spiced with h u m o r . T h a t r h o d o p sin mediates h u m a n scotopic vision, h a s been conclusively d e m o n s t r a t e d . A n e y e w i t h a s o u n d retina, destined for enucleation, w a s kept c o v e r e d a n d e x c i s e d in red light. T h e r h o d o p s i n extracted revealed an absorption spectrum that coincided precisely with h u m a n scotopic visibility (Crescitella and Dartnall, 1 9 5 3 ) . R u s h t o n and Campbell determined the actual density of r h o d o p s i n under v a r i o u s c o n d i t i o n s f r o m a quantitative study of t h e blue-green light reflected from the h u m a n retina. C o m p a r i s o n s of t i m e a n d intensity s h o w e d that for 4 5 s e c o n d s the B u n s e n R o s c o e l a w held, indicating for this period a purely chemical response. T h e rods w e r e found to be visually inoperative w i t h less than 9 0 percent of their rhodopsin. T h e equivalent light of a s u m m e r day ( 1 0 , 0 0 0 m i l l i l a m b e r t s ) caused rhodopsin to be n o m o r e than half bleached. T e s t i n g the f o v e a similarly, R u s h t o n f o u n d that the protanope has o n l y the g r e e n - c a t c h i n g pigment, while the normal p e r s o n h a s also the red-catching pigment. T h e blue p i g m e n t could n o t be thus detected. T h e blue receptors cannot be rods since they s h o w a retinal directional effect w h i c h rods do not ( S t i l e s , 1 9 3 9 ) . T h o u g h the f o v e a of the protanope lacks t h e red p i g m e n t , it h a s twice the normal a m o u n t o f g r e e n p i g m e n t . A s v i t a m i n A serves both rods a n d c o n e s , the genetic absence o f the red p i g m e n t probably signifies a defect of specific protein. Stiles ( 1 9 5 3 ) , u s i n g the
James E . Lebensohn. T r a n s a c t i o n s o f the F i r s t C o n g r e s s o f the E u r o p e a n Ophthalmological Society. Edited b y J. F r a n ç o i s . Basel, S. K a r g e r , 1 9 6 1 . Available in the U . S . A . through Albert J. P h i e b i g , W h i t e P l a i n s , N . Y . Price $ 1 9 . 0 0 .
SECONDARY GLAUCOMA:
T h e first c o n g r e s s o f the E u r o p e a n O p h thalmological S o c i e t y w a s held in A t h e n s in April, I 9 6 0 . T h e subject of the entire conference w a s secondary glaucoma a n d 58 papers w e r e presented o n this subject. T h e official l a n g u a g e s o f the c o n g r e s s were F r e n c h , G e r m a n a n d E n g l i s h a n d about o n e third of the papers w e r e g i v e n in each ( w i t h the e x c e p t i o n of o n e in S p a n i s h and t w o in Italian). T h i s book is actually a treatise on the subject of secondary glaucoma since almost e v e r y s y s t e m i c a n d local disease with an associated increase in intraocular p r e s s u r e is discussed. F o r e x a m p l e , the first section discusses uveitis, heterochromic iritis and postoperative glaucoma. T h e second section i n cludes papers o n g l a u c o m a due to lens swelling, h y p h e m a , v e n o u s obstruction a n d t h r o m bosis, essential atrophy of the iris, rubeosis iridis a n d t h y r o g e n i c e x o p h t h a l m o s . T h e final section consists of m i s c e l l a n e o u s papers o n g l a u c o m a secondary t o a variety of c a u s e s , as well a s an interesting paper o n the electro32tinographic c h a n g e s in secondary glaucoma. T h e final paper, o n the functional state of the n e r v o u s s y s t e m in secondary g l a u c o m a , is, appropriately e n o u g h , b y A . D . P a v l o v . All the papers collected in this v o l u m e have been published in O p h t h a l m o l o g i c s , volu m e 1 4 2 , N o . 1 a n d 2 a n d a supplement. H o w e v e r , the rather i n t e r e s t i n g o p e n i n g ad-