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Visual Development
BOOK REVIEWS
1162
able long-range benefaction that could be made in this present midcentury would be the subsidy to an "American Journal of In vestigative Ophthalmology." James E. Lebensohn.
OBITUARY MANOEL A. DA SILVA Manoel A. da Silva died unexpectedly on March 5, 1950. A member of the modern Brazilian ophthalmological generation, Man oel A. da Silva, although still a young man, was well known not only in Sao Paulo, but in Brazil and the Americas. Born in Sao Paulo, he attended grade school and high school in his native city. Registering in 1933 at the Escola Paulista de Medicina, he was graduated with the first class graduated by that school in 1938. His spirit and capacity for work and organiza tion helped him to make friends among his colleagues and it was these same qualities which aided his advancement in his pro fessional career. During his last year at school, he worked as monitor in the Ophthalmological Clinic of the Escola Paulista de Medicina and was afterward appointed assistant and instructor, helping not only with the teaching of under graduates but also with graduate and post graduate training in ophthalmology. When the Kellogg Foundation scholar ships of the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology were established, Manoel Silva was classified in first place among the Brazilian candidates and spent a year at the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary at the time when Harry Gradle and Peter Kronfeld were teaching there. Later he visited several other clinics in the United States. When the Society of "Kellogg Fellows" was founded, Manoel Silva was elected president. He was president of the Centro de Estudos de Oftalmologia de Sao Paulo and vicepresident of the Sociedade de Oftalmologia de Sao Paulo. He read the official paper at
the 4th Jornadas Brasileiras de Oftalmo logia in Porto Alegre and had been chosen by the Sociedade de Oftalmologia de Sao Paulo and by the Centro de Estudos de Oftalmologia to present the official paper of these societies at the Pan-American Con gress of Ophthalmology. He was one of the assistant editors of Ophthalmologia Ibero Americana, which owes a great deal to Manoel Silva for his tireless labor. He co operated enthusiastically in the organization of the Bulletin of the Centro de Estudos de Oftalmologia and always entered whole heartedly into all the activities of the Ophthalomological Clinic of the Escola Paulista de Medicina. In memory of the assistant executive sec retary of the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology, a position held by Manoel A. da Silva since 1948, the Pan-American Congress of Ophthalmology, held in Miami Beach, paid a significant tribute to him, thus showing the sorrow of all ophthalmologists of this hemisphere for his premature de cease. Moacyr E. Alvaro.
BOOK REVIEWS VISUAL DEVELOPMENT. By J. H.
Prince.
Baltimore, The Williams & Wilkins Com pany, 1949. Clothbound, 418 pages, 160 illustrations, 30 color plates. Price, $9.50. This book is a fitting companion piece to Walls's The Vertebrate Eye and Polyak's The Retina to which the author refers occa sionally in the text, giving credit to these authors, accepting them as sources of mate rial as having investigated many of the sub jects discussed in his book more fully than he. This volume is extremely readable and informative about the development of sight. Many beautiful halftones and good dia grams, as well as a few color plates of the fundi of various animals, amplify the text. There are five parts, the first having to do with such subjects as the structure of the retina in man and in animals and a descrip-
BOOK REVIEWS
tion of its function and method of action. The second and longest part is concerned with the evolution of invertebrates and verte brates ; their nocturnality and pupillary func tion. The third part has to do with color vision, the fourth with night vision and dark adaptation, and the fifth with methods of ex amination and a discussion of fundus sig nificance. The chapter on perception gives, among other things, a brief outline of the brain areas utilized for the various senses from the lower animals to man, showing the de crease in areas, the functions of which, such as smell, become less and association areas become greater the more advanced the evolu tion. The chapters on retinal structure are somewhat detailed for the lay reader, but elementary in comparison to the exhaustive treatises of Polyak and others. The two sections on evolution of inverte brates and vertebrates make fascinating read ing as do the following on experiments in nocturnality and diurnality. After detailing the progressive changes in the eyes from unicellular organisms with only an eye spot through compound eyes and multiple eyes and ending with some consider ation of the pineal eye, as in the surviving sphenodon, the author passes to the discus sion of the general evolution from the cyclostomes, which are like parasites, through the elasmobranchii and the lungfish to the amphibians. Amphibious life was occasioned by an at tempt by smaller fish to escape from larger sea monsters. At the same time some fish sought escape in the deepest and darkest waters. Each of these changes was accom panied by suitable adaptations of body and eye structure. Gradually the fish developed legs to re place the fins, and reptiles ruled the land. But again, the little must escape from the big and this was done by taking to the air or burrowing into the ground. And thus, the birds and snakes were born. The birds' eyes became exceedingly effi
1163
cient for their purpose, developing great visual acuity and, in some cases, double maculas to protect them from enemies in the air and to enable them to have vision for acquiring food. The snakes, having special use for vision in the dark, acquired eyes suit able for this purpose, sacrificing something of diurnality. For some unknown reason reptiles, especially the larger ones, almost disappeared from the earth and the day of the primates slowly dawned. The countless eons, estimated by Prince at three billion years, necessary for these changes from organic solutions to modern man to take place are almost inconceivable. If we tentatively accept the estimates of physicists that there are only about 10 mil lion years of solar energy remaining in our sun and it has taken three billion years to get us to our present stage of development, one almost feels that there is very little time left! Pupillary function with its adaptation to life's necessities is well told. The description of the use of color in the animal world for protection and for the hunter makes another excellent chapter. The part on color vision is somewhat unsatisfying for the reason that the subject is so little understood. Many of the current theories are given, but one is left in the usual doubt as to the correct explana tion. A good chapter is that on nystagmus. The analysis of the differentiation between the congenital and acquired types is clear. The care and handling of animals for the routine examination of their eyes gives some tech nical information that is valuable. In summary, this book is well written and interesting. It is by no means an exhaustive treatise on the subject and scarcely suffi ciently detailed for a reference text. Both ophthalmologists and lay readers will enjoy it, there being only a few chapters that would be obscure to the latter because of lack of a medical background. Lawrence T. Post.
1162
able long-range benefaction that could be made in this present midcentury would be the subsidy to an "American Journal of In vestigative Ophthalmology." James E. Lebensohn.
OBITUARY MANOEL A. DA SILVA Manoel A. da Silva died unexpectedly on March 5, 1950. A member of the modern Brazilian ophthalmological generation, Man oel A. da Silva, although still a young man, was well known not only in Sao Paulo, but in Brazil and the Americas. Born in Sao Paulo, he attended grade school and high school in his native city. Registering in 1933 at the Escola Paulista de Medicina, he was graduated with the first class graduated by that school in 1938. His spirit and capacity for work and organiza tion helped him to make friends among his colleagues and it was these same qualities which aided his advancement in his pro fessional career. During his last year at school, he worked as monitor in the Ophthalmological Clinic of the Escola Paulista de Medicina and was afterward appointed assistant and instructor, helping not only with the teaching of under graduates but also with graduate and post graduate training in ophthalmology. When the Kellogg Foundation scholar ships of the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology were established, Manoel Silva was classified in first place among the Brazilian candidates and spent a year at the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary at the time when Harry Gradle and Peter Kronfeld were teaching there. Later he visited several other clinics in the United States. When the Society of "Kellogg Fellows" was founded, Manoel Silva was elected president. He was president of the Centro de Estudos de Oftalmologia de Sao Paulo and vicepresident of the Sociedade de Oftalmologia de Sao Paulo. He read the official paper at
the 4th Jornadas Brasileiras de Oftalmo logia in Porto Alegre and had been chosen by the Sociedade de Oftalmologia de Sao Paulo and by the Centro de Estudos de Oftalmologia to present the official paper of these societies at the Pan-American Con gress of Ophthalmology. He was one of the assistant editors of Ophthalmologia Ibero Americana, which owes a great deal to Manoel Silva for his tireless labor. He co operated enthusiastically in the organization of the Bulletin of the Centro de Estudos de Oftalmologia and always entered whole heartedly into all the activities of the Ophthalomological Clinic of the Escola Paulista de Medicina. In memory of the assistant executive sec retary of the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology, a position held by Manoel A. da Silva since 1948, the Pan-American Congress of Ophthalmology, held in Miami Beach, paid a significant tribute to him, thus showing the sorrow of all ophthalmologists of this hemisphere for his premature de cease. Moacyr E. Alvaro.
BOOK REVIEWS VISUAL DEVELOPMENT. By J. H.
Prince.
Baltimore, The Williams & Wilkins Com pany, 1949. Clothbound, 418 pages, 160 illustrations, 30 color plates. Price, $9.50. This book is a fitting companion piece to Walls's The Vertebrate Eye and Polyak's The Retina to which the author refers occa sionally in the text, giving credit to these authors, accepting them as sources of mate rial as having investigated many of the sub jects discussed in his book more fully than he. This volume is extremely readable and informative about the development of sight. Many beautiful halftones and good dia grams, as well as a few color plates of the fundi of various animals, amplify the text. There are five parts, the first having to do with such subjects as the structure of the retina in man and in animals and a descrip-
BOOK REVIEWS
tion of its function and method of action. The second and longest part is concerned with the evolution of invertebrates and verte brates ; their nocturnality and pupillary func tion. The third part has to do with color vision, the fourth with night vision and dark adaptation, and the fifth with methods of ex amination and a discussion of fundus sig nificance. The chapter on perception gives, among other things, a brief outline of the brain areas utilized for the various senses from the lower animals to man, showing the de crease in areas, the functions of which, such as smell, become less and association areas become greater the more advanced the evolu tion. The chapters on retinal structure are somewhat detailed for the lay reader, but elementary in comparison to the exhaustive treatises of Polyak and others. The two sections on evolution of inverte brates and vertebrates make fascinating read ing as do the following on experiments in nocturnality and diurnality. After detailing the progressive changes in the eyes from unicellular organisms with only an eye spot through compound eyes and multiple eyes and ending with some consider ation of the pineal eye, as in the surviving sphenodon, the author passes to the discus sion of the general evolution from the cyclostomes, which are like parasites, through the elasmobranchii and the lungfish to the amphibians. Amphibious life was occasioned by an at tempt by smaller fish to escape from larger sea monsters. At the same time some fish sought escape in the deepest and darkest waters. Each of these changes was accom panied by suitable adaptations of body and eye structure. Gradually the fish developed legs to re place the fins, and reptiles ruled the land. But again, the little must escape from the big and this was done by taking to the air or burrowing into the ground. And thus, the birds and snakes were born. The birds' eyes became exceedingly effi
1163
cient for their purpose, developing great visual acuity and, in some cases, double maculas to protect them from enemies in the air and to enable them to have vision for acquiring food. The snakes, having special use for vision in the dark, acquired eyes suit able for this purpose, sacrificing something of diurnality. For some unknown reason reptiles, especially the larger ones, almost disappeared from the earth and the day of the primates slowly dawned. The countless eons, estimated by Prince at three billion years, necessary for these changes from organic solutions to modern man to take place are almost inconceivable. If we tentatively accept the estimates of physicists that there are only about 10 mil lion years of solar energy remaining in our sun and it has taken three billion years to get us to our present stage of development, one almost feels that there is very little time left! Pupillary function with its adaptation to life's necessities is well told. The description of the use of color in the animal world for protection and for the hunter makes another excellent chapter. The part on color vision is somewhat unsatisfying for the reason that the subject is so little understood. Many of the current theories are given, but one is left in the usual doubt as to the correct explana tion. A good chapter is that on nystagmus. The analysis of the differentiation between the congenital and acquired types is clear. The care and handling of animals for the routine examination of their eyes gives some tech nical information that is valuable. In summary, this book is well written and interesting. It is by no means an exhaustive treatise on the subject and scarcely suffi ciently detailed for a reference text. Both ophthalmologists and lay readers will enjoy it, there being only a few chapters that would be obscure to the latter because of lack of a medical background. Lawrence T. Post.