770 



sufficiently i^takiiig into consideration tlie possible errors of the method) 

 then we niav look upon this as a proof of the correctness of the 

 method. 



We have determined the "accommodation-figures" for a couple 

 of persons, aged lespectivelj 31 and 24 years, and have examined 

 the paralysing action of cocaine and hoinatro[)ine on the ciliary 

 muscle. 



One sees from our curves that the result is such that we feel 

 justified in concluding that Ihe melhod is good, hi one |)atient we 

 found a power of the ciliary muscle amounting to about 24 myo- 

 dioptries; in the other 20 myodioptries. 



It appeared thai total contraction of the ciliary muscle is not 

 necessary to obtain the greatest possible accommodation; that the 

 myodioptrie has a constant value for each of these two persons, 

 that tiie lines of tlie relative near and far points in the area of 

 latent ciiiarj' muscle contraction, lun parallel to each other and to 

 the convergence line of Dondkks, and that it is possible in persons 

 whose "accommodation-figures" are known, to detect even the 

 slightest decrease in power of the ciliary muscle. 



Cocaine has on the accommodation-muscle a cunmlaiive paralysing 

 action, which shows considerable individual difl'erence; it is there- 

 fore not at all surpri.sing that one comes across such different reports 

 of its action in the literature; as the possibility of detecting this 

 action was dependent on : 



the number of times cocaine is dropped in the eyes; the age of 

 Ihe observer; individual peculiarities ; the duration of tlie observations 

 and from the intervals between the observations. 



One can draw still more conclusions from the results obtained, 

 with regard to the influence of heterophoria, condition of refraction, 

 etc. on the "accommodation-figures", and of the influence, which 

 feebleness of the ciliarymuscle has on the power to do our work 

 at short distance. 



My only object at present, however, was to draw attention to 

 the fact that the melhod of exauiining Ihe relative accommodation 

 enables us to widen our insight into the accommodation, and makes 

 it possible to examine the influence of different substances on the 

 accommodation muscle. 



It is a pity that the method itself is so difficult to master, that 

 it will never become a method for clinical examination in the hands 

 of many, but will have to be limited to the laboratory work of a few. 



