344 On the Staphijloma, Hi/drophlhabnia, 



after the hasmorrhage had ceased, by converting the orifice 

 into an issue, the discharge from which became soon very 

 considerable. In another case, in which the protrusion 

 occasioned great pain, and nearly destroyed vision, a per- 

 fect cure was accomplished by the application of a large 

 caustic behind the ear. The discharge which it occasioned, 

 when the eschar separated, was profuse j and it was kept 

 up, nearly a month, bv the insertion of a dozen peas daily. 

 Another disorder of the eye, which gradually occasions 

 its enlargement, has by some been called fungus hasmatodes ; 

 and by others medullary sarcoma, spongoid inflamma- 

 tion, and soft cancer. This differs so much, both in pro- 

 gress and appearance, from the hydrophthalmia, that it 

 cannot easily be mistaken for it. It more nearly resem- 

 bles the disorder which I proposed to consider last in this 

 paper, the Carcinoma of the eye, having many symptoms 

 in common with it. The fungus hcematodes seldom attacks 

 the eves of adults, and is most commonly discovered at an 

 early'period of an infant's life. The first symptom that is 

 noticed is a white shining substance in the posterior part of 

 the eye, visible through The pupil in some particular posi- 

 tions of the head, but not in all. One eye is generally at- 

 tacked some time before it appears in the other. As soon 

 as the whiteness is perceived in the eye, the sight is im- 

 paired, and in a short time it is wholly lost. At its com- 

 mencement it bears a slight resemblance to a cataract ; but 

 an attentive person will at once discover the difference be- 

 tween the two disorders ; the opacity in the cataract lying 

 close behind the pupil, whilst in the fungus hcematodes it 

 is situated deep in the posterior part of tiic eye. In the ca- 

 taract, the pupil j-etains the power of dilating and contract- 

 ing in different degrees of light ; but in the fungus hcema- 

 todes the pupil never varies its size, and is usually dilated. 

 When the disorder has so much advanced as to destroy the 

 figure of the eye, and to make it protrude bcvond l!ie rim 

 of the orbit, it is more difficult to distinguish it from what 

 has usually been called a carcinoma of this organ. There 

 is still oreater difficulty, when, after extracting an eve that 

 contains a fungus haematodes, a fresh tumour arises from 

 the bottom of the orbit, which fills this cavity, and con- 

 tinues increasing, until it becomes, as has sometimes hap- 

 pened, as large as the whole head. This difficulty of distin- 

 guishing between the carcinoma of the eye and the fungus 

 hgemalodes is, however, the less to be regretted, since the 

 proper treatment of bo'th disorders seems nearly alike; the 

 only known mode of checking the progress, in both, ap- 

 pearing 



