'School ophthalmia' : a paper read before the Association on February 25th, 1897 / by Sydney Stephenson.

  • Stephenson, Sydney, 1862-1923.
Date:
1897
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: 'School ophthalmia' : a paper read before the Association on February 25th, 1897 / by Sydney Stephenson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    although that observatiou, perhaps, means that both swel- ling of the conjunctiva and corneal ulceration stand in relation to the number and potency of the specific organisms. Lastly, the preauricular glands are enlarged and tender ; and s^^novitis of the larger joints has been met with. It will be perceived from this slight sketch that Purulent Ophthalmia is a serious complaint, exceedingly dangerous as rega.rds sight. While this is undoubtedly the case, one must be prepared to lecognise the fact that great individual differences are met with. In newly-born children, for instance, the stress falls upon the palpebral conjunctiva, and injuries to sight are relatively rare, especially when the case is treated early; in older subjects, on the other hand, chemosis is great, pain is a prominent feature, and the cornea suffers in perhaps one half of those affected. Between individuals of much the same age, somewhat similar differences are to be observed, and these must be explained in one of two ways, namely, (1) by variations in the virulence of the disease-germs, or (2) by idiosyn- crasy on the part of the patient. A marked case of Purulent Ophthalmia cannot be mis- taken, but one of milder type might be confounded with muco-purulent conjunctivitis of unusual severity, although it would nevertheless be capable of communicating to a second person a form of ophthalmia that might end in loss of sight. Fortunately there is an unfailing test as to the nature of the disease, viz., the bacteriological one. This is so simple that there can be no excuse tor neglecting it. A clean cover-glass (No. 1) is smeared with a little pus taken from the conjunctival sac, and, after allowing tbe preparation to dry, it is passed two or three times over a spirit flame or Bunsen lamp. If the specimen appears unduly thick it may be floated for a few minutes in a strong (15 per cent.) solution of acetic acid, which is afterwards to be carefully washed away by means of distilled water. The next step is to pour a few drops of almost any aniline basic dye over the cover-glass, and, after waiting five minutes, to wash the specimen once more with distilled water.