and distant Sight of different Persons, 49 



of these was a boy eight years old, who suddenly became 

 presbyopic, and had repeatedly been punished at school, on 

 account of his incorrect and defaced writing ; the real cause 

 of it, at that time, being unknown to his master. After the 

 presbyopia had continued a fortnight, and different local ap- 

 plications had been used, without producing any sensibly good 

 effects, the lad was cured by the application of leaches to the 

 temples, and the administration of a few purgative medicines. 

 The other instances occurred in two daughters of the same 

 family. The eldest, twenty years of age, had never been able 

 to do fine work, and for three years had been greatly assisted 

 by convex spectacles. The youngest, a girl of fifteen, had be- 

 come presbyopic about a year ago, and since that time had been 

 obliged to use spectacles whenever she read, or worked with 

 her needle. The young person, last mentioned, in the course of 

 six weeks, (during which time she totally abstained from the use 

 of glasses,) was completely reheved from the necessity of using 

 them, by the application of two leaches to each temple twice 

 in a week. The former, in the same space of time, experi- 

 enced much relief from a similar treatment, but was stiil un- 

 able to do fine work without glasses, partly in consequence of 

 the long continuance of the infirmity, and partly on account 

 of her not having abstained with equal steadiness from the 

 occasional use of them. 



From the preceding statement, the following inferences 

 may be deduced. 



First ; near sightedness is rarely observed in infants, or 

 even in children under ten years of age. It affects the higher 

 classes of society more than the lower : and the instances are 

 few, if any, in which, if the use of concave glasses has been 



MDCccxin. H 



