Notices respecting New Books. 225 
In a letter to the Governor and Directors explanatory of his 
practice, which follows the above interesting documents, Mr. 
Adams observes, “ from the statements which have been made of 
the success of the practice of extraction, the public have been 
taught to believe that it possessed all the excellence of which any 
operation for the cure of cataract was susceptible. It became, 
_ therefore, highly necessary that such an experiment as the pre~ 
sent should be instituted; and that, under the immediate super- 
intendance of impartial and disinterested persons, whose testi- 
mony could not be doubted.” 
All personal allusions to other operators are thus handsomely 
disclaimed. 
** And here I beg leave to repeat the observation I made at my 
first interview with your honourable Board, that it is the opera- 
tion, and not the operator, which I deprecate. Were he to 
adopt my operations, or were | to follow his, the results of the 
two modes of practice would probably be nearly the same as they 
are now found to be; nor shall I hesitate to add my firm belief, 
that superior manual dexterity is not to be found in this king- 
dom, than is possessed by the operator whose efforts have proved 
80 unavailing, in the many instances submitted to your considera- 
tion. It is, I conceive, the want of a personal experience of the 
superior effiacy of my practice, which prevents his adopting it 
with the same promptitude, as another oculist of long-established 
celebrity has done, since he saw me operate; who, before that 
period, was distinguished by his practice, as well as writings, as 
one of the warmest advocates of the operation of extraction. 
‘6 It may be proper to inform your honourable Board that I 
have not confined myself to any individual operation in the treat- 
ment of the pensioners blind of cataract intrusted to my care. 
My instruments and modes of operating have varied as the na- 
ture of the case required. Where the consistence of the cataract 
has adinitted of an immediate and complete division, I have 
placed the separated portions in a situation which insured their 
“absorption in five or six weeks. In these cases, the general success 
of the operation exceeds all credibility with those who have been 
in the habit of witnessing the results of other modes of practice. 
Of upwards of eighty persons born blind of cataracts, upon whom 
i have performed this operation, | have not lost an eye. In three 
instances alone, in which I was prevented from repeating the 
operation, it did not produce the anticipated benefit ; and I should 
consider myself unfortunate were I at any time to be less suc- 
cessful in an equal number of persons who became blind from 
«ataracts after hirth, provided they admitted of being treated in 
the manner already described, and the health of the patients was 
Vol. 43. No. 191. March 1814, F ik 
