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The Medical Treatment of Cataract
301
BOOK NOTICES
attempt to cover the subject of oph thalmic operations. Not only is its scope strictly confined to operations upon the globe itself; in most cases but a single operation of each kind is de scribed. It takes up what its author considers the best form of each opera tion, and describes its technic mi nutely and clearly. It is the kind of book that a young man can read and study minutely with profit, in the effort to develop his own technic for operations upon the eye ball. For such, who read Spanish or who wish to learn to read Spanish, it will be particularly valuable. To the re viewer the selection of forms of opera tions to be described seems in the main to be conservative and wise. Cataract operations occupy about half the book, beginning with a section on when should a cataract be subject ed to operation. After cataract oper ations, iridectomy for glaucoma is de scribed, and then the Elliot and Lagrange operations are considered. Next the complications of iridectomy and then iridotomy are taken up. Then, under operations on the sclera, Wecker's anterior sclerotomy is described, then posterior sclerotomy and Panas' combined keratectomy, the Saemisch operation, tattooing of the cornea by injections, enucleation of the eyeball, exenteration, pterygium, the treatment of wounds of the different parts of the eye, and removal of foreign bodies from the cornea. The book is printed in good, but highly surfaced paper. The illustra tions are half-tone reproductions of photographs, showing different steps in each operation. The chief criticism of them would be that showing so much of the patient's head and the hands of the operator, the eye appears on so small a scale that it is impossible to make out details that it would be profitable to study. E. J. CORRESPONDENCE. The Medical Treatment of Cataract. January 31, 1921. To the Editor: In the September number of your JOURNAL Drs. Walter
S. Franklin and Frederick C. Cordes gave a very careful and interesting ac count of the results of their work and findings relative to "Radium for Cata racts." I read it, as also many others, with much interest. Their percentage of betterment, 84.3%, surely made its reading very interesting, and the fact of its being harmless adds much to its favor. About twenty years ago Dr. Rich ard Kalish did much work with uncer tain benefit to his patients, by the use of Prices' Glycerine preceded by cocain, with massage used once a day, and gave many illustrations showing the exact conditions and results achieved. Many ophthalmologists all over the country gave it a trial, getting results better or worse, none published that I know of. Almost weekly, surely monthly, I have some patients come in my office and ask for medical treatment for the cure of cataracts. I can frankly say that my experience with Dr. Kalish's method was nil. The scarcity of radium makes its use impractical to the many. I would like to hear the reports and conclusions from some of the greater lights of our profession as to medical treatment. Ithaca, N. Y.
JOHN
S.
KIRKENDALL.
An International Congress. To the Editor: Owing to a miscon ception on the part of some as to the ex act character of an International Con gress of Ophthalmology, which is to be held in Washington, D. C , April 25-28, 1922, I am instructed by the General Committee to prepare the fol lowing notice and to request its early publication in the JOURNAL: First, the proposed Congress is des ignated as an International Congress of Ophthalmology, which will be held under the auspices of The American Ophthahnological Society, The Section on Ophthalmology of the American Medical Association and The American Academy of Ophthalmology and OtoLaryngology. It is an independent con gress and is in no way affiliated with, or a continuation of, the regularly constituted International Congress of
BOOK NOTICES
attempt to cover the subject of oph thalmic operations. Not only is its scope strictly confined to operations upon the globe itself; in most cases but a single operation of each kind is de scribed. It takes up what its author considers the best form of each opera tion, and describes its technic mi nutely and clearly. It is the kind of book that a young man can read and study minutely with profit, in the effort to develop his own technic for operations upon the eye ball. For such, who read Spanish or who wish to learn to read Spanish, it will be particularly valuable. To the re viewer the selection of forms of opera tions to be described seems in the main to be conservative and wise. Cataract operations occupy about half the book, beginning with a section on when should a cataract be subject ed to operation. After cataract oper ations, iridectomy for glaucoma is de scribed, and then the Elliot and Lagrange operations are considered. Next the complications of iridectomy and then iridotomy are taken up. Then, under operations on the sclera, Wecker's anterior sclerotomy is described, then posterior sclerotomy and Panas' combined keratectomy, the Saemisch operation, tattooing of the cornea by injections, enucleation of the eyeball, exenteration, pterygium, the treatment of wounds of the different parts of the eye, and removal of foreign bodies from the cornea. The book is printed in good, but highly surfaced paper. The illustra tions are half-tone reproductions of photographs, showing different steps in each operation. The chief criticism of them would be that showing so much of the patient's head and the hands of the operator, the eye appears on so small a scale that it is impossible to make out details that it would be profitable to study. E. J. CORRESPONDENCE. The Medical Treatment of Cataract. January 31, 1921. To the Editor: In the September number of your JOURNAL Drs. Walter
S. Franklin and Frederick C. Cordes gave a very careful and interesting ac count of the results of their work and findings relative to "Radium for Cata racts." I read it, as also many others, with much interest. Their percentage of betterment, 84.3%, surely made its reading very interesting, and the fact of its being harmless adds much to its favor. About twenty years ago Dr. Rich ard Kalish did much work with uncer tain benefit to his patients, by the use of Prices' Glycerine preceded by cocain, with massage used once a day, and gave many illustrations showing the exact conditions and results achieved. Many ophthalmologists all over the country gave it a trial, getting results better or worse, none published that I know of. Almost weekly, surely monthly, I have some patients come in my office and ask for medical treatment for the cure of cataracts. I can frankly say that my experience with Dr. Kalish's method was nil. The scarcity of radium makes its use impractical to the many. I would like to hear the reports and conclusions from some of the greater lights of our profession as to medical treatment. Ithaca, N. Y.
JOHN
S.
KIRKENDALL.
An International Congress. To the Editor: Owing to a miscon ception on the part of some as to the ex act character of an International Con gress of Ophthalmology, which is to be held in Washington, D. C , April 25-28, 1922, I am instructed by the General Committee to prepare the fol lowing notice and to request its early publication in the JOURNAL: First, the proposed Congress is des ignated as an International Congress of Ophthalmology, which will be held under the auspices of The American Ophthahnological Society, The Section on Ophthalmology of the American Medical Association and The American Academy of Ophthalmology and OtoLaryngology. It is an independent con gress and is in no way affiliated with, or a continuation of, the regularly constituted International Congress of