the Philomathic Society of Paris. 121 



One of our number, however*, must observe on this occasion, 

 that he has seen animals poisoned when a venomous substance 

 was brought in contact with the conjunctiva, — a circumstance 

 which ought to dictate the greatest caution in the appHcation 

 of belladonna to this membrane. Sir Wm. Adams afterwards 

 speaks of a process employed by the late Mr. Gibson, of Man- 

 chester, in cases where the central opacity of the cornea was 

 very extensive, and in which the application of belladonna could 

 have no effect. This surgeon made an incision in the cornea, 

 one line from its junction with the sclerotica, and about three 

 lines in length. After the evacuation of the humour, a small 

 portion of the iris presented itself through the opening; and then 

 Mr. Gibson with curved scissars removed the portion of the 

 iris which had protruded into the wound in the cornea, so as to 

 form an artificial pupil nearly circular. Sir Wm. Adams makes se- 

 veral objections to this process, among others that of producing 

 a considerable opacity in the portion of the cornea which re- 

 mained transparent. He substitutes another process, which 

 consists in drawing the edge of the pupil through a small aper- 

 ture made in the cornea, and leaving it in a state of strangula- 

 tion : the portion of the iris which appears protruded is after- 

 wards destroyed by the nitrate of silver. Fifteen cases, the de- 

 tails of which are very curious, terminate this chapter, and serve 

 to prove the correctness of the author's doctrine. 



The third chapter of Sir Wm. Adams's work treats of cataract. 

 _ He gives in the first place his ideas as to the causes of this 

 disease. He denies that there is any such thing as scrophulous 

 cataract, but admits of a venereal one, the essential character 

 of which is an opacity of the crystalline capsule, the crystalline 

 retaining all its transparency. Authors have made no mention 

 of this cataract ; so that the discovery of it must be attributed 

 to Sir Wm. Adams. 



The author afterwards notices a great number of cases of 

 cataract observed in new-born infants. On this occasion he 

 observed, that if more than one child by the same mother were 

 born with cataract, all who came after were affected, and even 

 the cataracts were of a similar naturef. The author therefore 



* Most probably M. Magenrlie. This ingenious physiologist, in concert 

 with M. Delillc, has been tor several yearscnsia'^cd iii cxpcTinieiits on the 

 effects of vej:<'tahlc poisons on t!ie animal fficoiiomy. See the Reports of 

 the Proceedings of tlia French Institute in the Philosophical Masazine 



paWiTW.— Tra NSLATOR. 



t On reft- rring to the Author's v>ork, we find liis idea appears to be 

 inisiinderstoo'l ; his words are: " /n ail cases of congenital cataract which 

 have fallen under my notice, where more than one child has been affected 

 U has invariably occurred in succession".— Tkanslatok. * 



maintains 



