p. 



i "OPHTHALMITIS POSTFEBRILE;' 5 



A severe form of Inflammation of the Eye, following Typhus Fever, 

 as it appeared in the city of New York in 1847-48. By A. 

 Dubois, M. D. [Communicated by the Committee on Surgery, ,] 



Believing with Mr. Jacob, " that the occurrence of a local inflam- 

 mation of specific character, as a consequence of fever, is a fact of 

 importance, not only to ophthalmic surgery, but to pathology gene- 

 rally," I am induced to offer to the profession the following paper. 



During the past year a severe form of ophthalmia, following typhus 

 fever, has made its appearance in this city. As far as I have been 

 able to learn, a similar disease has never before been noticed either 

 in this city or this country. From September, 1847, to May, 1848, 

 twenty-nine patients, suffering from this disease, have been admitted 

 at the New York Eye Infirmary. Before proceeding to speak of the 

 disease, I propose giving a brief sketch of its history, and also of the 

 fever which preceded it as it appeared in Dublin in 1826-27, in 

 Glasgow in 1843, and in New York in 1847-48. 



The first published account of this affection of the eye is given by 

 Mr. Hewson in his work on the Venereal Ophthalmia. He reports 

 five cases which occurred in his practice as early as the year 1815. 

 They all recovered under the use of arteriotomy, and calomel and 

 opium. In 1827, Mr. Wallace, of Dublin, published in the 14th vol. 

 of the Medico-Chirurgical Transactions, a paper on a "peculiar in- 

 flammatory disease of the eye following fever." The following is a 

 brief summary of Mr. W.'s description of the disease: — It occurs as 

 frequently in males as females: the youngest patient was ten, the 

 oldest thirty-six years of age. The right eye was affected in thirty- 

 eight out of forty cases — only two cases in which both eyes were 

 attacked. The general health was seldom deranged; — the disease 

 most generally occurs after that form of fever in which a relapse 

 takes place. The period after the fever at which the ophthalmia 

 occurs is very uncertain- — in some immediately — in others not for 



