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The Editor Goes to War
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OPHTHALMOLOGY Published
Monthly
by the Ophthalmic
Publishing
Company
EDITORIAL STAFF LT.-COL. DERRICK VAIL, M.C., U.S.A., Editor-
RALPH H. MILLER
LAWRENCE T. POST, Acting Editor-in-Chief
C. S. O'BRIEN'
EDWARD JACKSON, Consulting Editor
ALGERNON Β. REESE
in-Chief (on active duty)
803 Carew Tower, Cincinnati The State University of Iowa, College of; Medicine, Iowa City
640 South Kingshighway, Saint Louis
73 East Seventy-first Street, New York
Republic Building, Denver
M. URIBE TRONCOSO
WILLIAM H. CRISP, Consulting Editor
500 West End Avenue, New York
530 Metropolitan Building, Denver
F. E. WOODRUFF
824 Metropolitan Building, Saint Louis
WILLIAM L. BENEDICT
The Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
ALAN C. WOODS
Wilmer Ophthalmological Institute, Balti more EMMA S. Buss, Manuscript Editor 5428 Delmar Boulevard, Saint Louis
GRADY E. CLAY
Medical Arts Building, Atlanta F R E D E R I C K C. C O R D E S
384 Post Street, San Francisco
Directors: LAWRENCE T. POST, President; WILLIAM L. BENEDICT, Vice-President; DONALD
J. LYLE, Secretary and Treasurer ; EDWARD JACKSON, WILLIAM H. CRISP, HARRY S. GRADLE.
Address original papers, other scientific communications including correspondence, also books for review and reports of society proceedings to Dr. Lawrence T. Post, 440 South Kingshighway, Saint Louis, Missouri. Exchange copies of medical journals should be sent to Dr. William H. Crisp, 530 Metropoli tan Building, Denver, Colorado. Subscriptions, applications for single copies, notices of change of address, and communications with reference to advertising should be addressed to the Manager of Subscriptions and Advertising, 837 Carew Tower, Cincinnati, Ohio. Copy of advertisements must be sent to the manager by the fifteenth of the month preceding its appearance. _ Author's proofs should be corrected and returned within forty-eight hours to the Manuscript Editor, Miss Emma S. Buss, 5428 Delmar Boulevard, Saint Louis, Missouri. Twenty-five reprints of each article will be supplied to the author without charge. Additional reprints may be obtained from the printer, the George Banta Publishing Company, 450-458 Ahnaip Street, Menasha, Wis consin, if ordered at the time proofs are returned. But reprints to contain colored plates must be ordered when the article is accepted. T H E EDITOR GOES T O W A R W a r h a s wrought many changes, but until this issue the Journal h a d suffered no loss. I n the first week of September, however, the editor-in-chief w a s called into service to assume a n important post in t h e ophthalmic division of t h e A r m y . N o more valuable m a n could have been selected. T h e Journal, while feeling his loss deeply, cannot regret his departure in so good a cause, where the flower of o u r nation's m e n must expend their efforts in defense of their homes a n d loved ones and of those w h o cannot g o o n active duty in the w a r effort. Dr. Vail, n o w Lieutenant Colonel Vail, has done fine work with the Journal since
taking over almost two years ago. T o o much praise cannot be given. I t is some satisfaction t o know that he is on leave of absence only, and h a s agreed t o resume the helm on h i s return. Some changes will have t o be made in the composition of t h e Journal, to con form t o different conditions. Obviously the number of articles to be abstracted has continually decreased from the begthning of the w a r , and since we entered t h e lists t h e European journals have almost ceased to come across t h e water. T h i s ' means a reduction in t h e size of our abstract department, which h a s been one of t h e best features of the Journal since Dr. Crisp took charge of it some 15 years ago.
1250
EDITORIALS
1251
If the subscription list does not suffer too severely in the war-time economy, it is planned to maintain the present size of the Journal. This will permit publication of more original articles and perhaps en largement of the South American section. It is quite thinkable that among other grave losses by the Europeans in this con flict will be those in the medical field, and in North and South America may well rest the hope of the medical future. Cer tainly the bonds between these two great western continents are drawing yearly closer, and an interchange of ophthalmol ogists, such as is contemplated and ac tually under way as provided by the Kellogg Foundation, and exchange of ophthalmic literature will be helpful in accomplishing this end in our own spe cialty.
to darkness has been reached at the end of an experiment lasting 12 hours. Adaptation to bright light occurs quick ly; the pupil contracts instantly, the lids almost close, so that the light that enters the eye through lids and sciera is evenly diffused over the whole retina. No par ticular part will be seriously damaged by excessive stimulation. By the power of adaptation, vision commands an immense range of variation in the amount of light that may be useful for any particular problem of seeing. But the light of noon day would have no particular advantage for. avoiding trunks of trees or stumps in the forest. The light of midnight in the forest would be of no use for seeing specks of dust, ants, or different colors of flowers. What we wish to see clearly, demands a good light.
T h e editorial staff extends congratula tions to D r . Vail on his appointment, to the A r m y on its wise selection, and the editors wish their editor-in-chief a short service and a safe return. Lawrence T . Post.
The wide range of light adaptation has prevented men from appreciating the best light for the many things requiring ac curate vision in the present industrial civilization—the threading of a needle, the exact placing of stitches, the reading of small letters, the recognition of slight differences in color, or the discrimination of closely drawn lines. The million things that have to be done by sight, demand the best possible light for each particular task. More attention to what is good light is needed in the offices of ophthalmologists. Vision is so important, so constantly de pended upon, that we forget that the best light is needed where a wide range of light makes vision possible. Looking from my office window, across the plains to the mountains 12 miles away, an instant flash of light, the reflection of the sun from the polished surface of an automobile, reveals the location of a road, otherwise entirely invisible. Good vision is vision that is definite, quick, and easy. Definite to give us information that we can rely upon; quick to waste the least time in
GOOD LIGHT At midnight, with no stars shining, in the midst of deep forests, we can still see the trunks of trees, the lighter sky over head, stumps or bushes to be avoided. At noon, on a clear day we see fields with cattle, sheep, crops, and roads running between them, with moving vehicles. Our eyes are capable of immense variations in light that will serve useful purposes of vision. The human eye has enormous power of light and dark adaptation. Adaptation to bright light comes very quickly. Adaptation to darkness comes slowly. Those who have experimented in dark adaptation have found their eyes growing more sensitive to feeble light, after two, four, or eight hours. It is not certain that the full extent of adaptation
Monthly
by the Ophthalmic
Publishing
Company
EDITORIAL STAFF LT.-COL. DERRICK VAIL, M.C., U.S.A., Editor-
RALPH H. MILLER
LAWRENCE T. POST, Acting Editor-in-Chief
C. S. O'BRIEN'
EDWARD JACKSON, Consulting Editor
ALGERNON Β. REESE
in-Chief (on active duty)
803 Carew Tower, Cincinnati The State University of Iowa, College of; Medicine, Iowa City
640 South Kingshighway, Saint Louis
73 East Seventy-first Street, New York
Republic Building, Denver
M. URIBE TRONCOSO
WILLIAM H. CRISP, Consulting Editor
500 West End Avenue, New York
530 Metropolitan Building, Denver
F. E. WOODRUFF
824 Metropolitan Building, Saint Louis
WILLIAM L. BENEDICT
The Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
ALAN C. WOODS
Wilmer Ophthalmological Institute, Balti more EMMA S. Buss, Manuscript Editor 5428 Delmar Boulevard, Saint Louis
GRADY E. CLAY
Medical Arts Building, Atlanta F R E D E R I C K C. C O R D E S
384 Post Street, San Francisco
Directors: LAWRENCE T. POST, President; WILLIAM L. BENEDICT, Vice-President; DONALD
J. LYLE, Secretary and Treasurer ; EDWARD JACKSON, WILLIAM H. CRISP, HARRY S. GRADLE.
Address original papers, other scientific communications including correspondence, also books for review and reports of society proceedings to Dr. Lawrence T. Post, 440 South Kingshighway, Saint Louis, Missouri. Exchange copies of medical journals should be sent to Dr. William H. Crisp, 530 Metropoli tan Building, Denver, Colorado. Subscriptions, applications for single copies, notices of change of address, and communications with reference to advertising should be addressed to the Manager of Subscriptions and Advertising, 837 Carew Tower, Cincinnati, Ohio. Copy of advertisements must be sent to the manager by the fifteenth of the month preceding its appearance. _ Author's proofs should be corrected and returned within forty-eight hours to the Manuscript Editor, Miss Emma S. Buss, 5428 Delmar Boulevard, Saint Louis, Missouri. Twenty-five reprints of each article will be supplied to the author without charge. Additional reprints may be obtained from the printer, the George Banta Publishing Company, 450-458 Ahnaip Street, Menasha, Wis consin, if ordered at the time proofs are returned. But reprints to contain colored plates must be ordered when the article is accepted. T H E EDITOR GOES T O W A R W a r h a s wrought many changes, but until this issue the Journal h a d suffered no loss. I n the first week of September, however, the editor-in-chief w a s called into service to assume a n important post in t h e ophthalmic division of t h e A r m y . N o more valuable m a n could have been selected. T h e Journal, while feeling his loss deeply, cannot regret his departure in so good a cause, where the flower of o u r nation's m e n must expend their efforts in defense of their homes a n d loved ones and of those w h o cannot g o o n active duty in the w a r effort. Dr. Vail, n o w Lieutenant Colonel Vail, has done fine work with the Journal since
taking over almost two years ago. T o o much praise cannot be given. I t is some satisfaction t o know that he is on leave of absence only, and h a s agreed t o resume the helm on h i s return. Some changes will have t o be made in the composition of t h e Journal, to con form t o different conditions. Obviously the number of articles to be abstracted has continually decreased from the begthning of the w a r , and since we entered t h e lists t h e European journals have almost ceased to come across t h e water. T h i s ' means a reduction in t h e size of our abstract department, which h a s been one of t h e best features of the Journal since Dr. Crisp took charge of it some 15 years ago.
1250
EDITORIALS
1251
If the subscription list does not suffer too severely in the war-time economy, it is planned to maintain the present size of the Journal. This will permit publication of more original articles and perhaps en largement of the South American section. It is quite thinkable that among other grave losses by the Europeans in this con flict will be those in the medical field, and in North and South America may well rest the hope of the medical future. Cer tainly the bonds between these two great western continents are drawing yearly closer, and an interchange of ophthalmol ogists, such as is contemplated and ac tually under way as provided by the Kellogg Foundation, and exchange of ophthalmic literature will be helpful in accomplishing this end in our own spe cialty.
to darkness has been reached at the end of an experiment lasting 12 hours. Adaptation to bright light occurs quick ly; the pupil contracts instantly, the lids almost close, so that the light that enters the eye through lids and sciera is evenly diffused over the whole retina. No par ticular part will be seriously damaged by excessive stimulation. By the power of adaptation, vision commands an immense range of variation in the amount of light that may be useful for any particular problem of seeing. But the light of noon day would have no particular advantage for. avoiding trunks of trees or stumps in the forest. The light of midnight in the forest would be of no use for seeing specks of dust, ants, or different colors of flowers. What we wish to see clearly, demands a good light.
T h e editorial staff extends congratula tions to D r . Vail on his appointment, to the A r m y on its wise selection, and the editors wish their editor-in-chief a short service and a safe return. Lawrence T . Post.
The wide range of light adaptation has prevented men from appreciating the best light for the many things requiring ac curate vision in the present industrial civilization—the threading of a needle, the exact placing of stitches, the reading of small letters, the recognition of slight differences in color, or the discrimination of closely drawn lines. The million things that have to be done by sight, demand the best possible light for each particular task. More attention to what is good light is needed in the offices of ophthalmologists. Vision is so important, so constantly de pended upon, that we forget that the best light is needed where a wide range of light makes vision possible. Looking from my office window, across the plains to the mountains 12 miles away, an instant flash of light, the reflection of the sun from the polished surface of an automobile, reveals the location of a road, otherwise entirely invisible. Good vision is vision that is definite, quick, and easy. Definite to give us information that we can rely upon; quick to waste the least time in
GOOD LIGHT At midnight, with no stars shining, in the midst of deep forests, we can still see the trunks of trees, the lighter sky over head, stumps or bushes to be avoided. At noon, on a clear day we see fields with cattle, sheep, crops, and roads running between them, with moving vehicles. Our eyes are capable of immense variations in light that will serve useful purposes of vision. The human eye has enormous power of light and dark adaptation. Adaptation to bright light comes very quickly. Adaptation to darkness comes slowly. Those who have experimented in dark adaptation have found their eyes growing more sensitive to feeble light, after two, four, or eight hours. It is not certain that the full extent of adaptation