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aptly expresses it, "above or below par." A want of attention to 

 this point has been the means of losing many an eye, that otherwise 

 might have been saved. Those much engaged in treating diseases 

 of the eye, must frequently have met with cases, particularly those 

 of syphilitic iritis, presenting all the appearances of active inflam- 

 mation, which cases, under the ordinary routine treatment by de- 

 pletion, mercury, &c, have gone on from bad to worse, and which 

 have afterwards yielded like magic to a generous diet and the use 

 of quinine. "While engaged in . preparing this paper, the question 

 was asked of mc — "If quinine was capable of removing lymph 

 effused on the surface of the iris in inflammations of that texture." 

 Observation has satisfied me that it can. — Not directly, however, as 

 is done by mercury in iritis occurring in otherwise healthy subjects, 

 but indirectly, by putting the system in a state favourable for the 

 proper action of the absorbents. If these views are correct, we can 

 readily understand why the cases reported by Mr. Wallace so readily 

 yielded to quinine. The fourteen cases he reports are divided into 

 three classes. 1st, seven cases in which "bleeding, purging and 

 mercury had been used in vain." 2d, three cases in the "primary 

 or amaurotic stage." 3d, four cases in "the secondary or inflam- 

 matory stage." A careful examination of the cases included in the 

 first class, will evidently show that, at the time they came under 

 Mr. Wallace's care, they were all in a condition favourable to the 

 administration of tonics; that is, they had all recently recovered 

 from fever ; they had all been bled and purged freely, and had taken 

 mercury to the extent of producing salivation, which salivation had, 

 in some instances, been kept up for weeks. In short, they were all 

 decidedly "below par," and only required building up, that Nature 

 might go on and effect a cure. In the second class, there had been 

 no previous treatment, but they were all in feeble health at the time. 

 In the third class, the first patient had been bled and purged; under 

 the use of bark he entirely recovered in three weeks. The state 

 of health of the second patient is not stated. The third had re- 

 cently left the Fever Hospital, and the fourth had been previously 

 bled and purged. 



Messrs. Reid, Colics and others used bark at the suggestion of 

 Mr. Wallace, and all confirm his opinion as to its efficacy. I have 

 administered quinine to several patients suffering from postfebrile 

 ophthalmia, and who, at the time, were apparently in perfect health. 

 In two cases, to be hereafter given, quinine was faithfully tried for 

 a week. The symptoms were so much aggravated that I thought it 



