5^08 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO l/OQ. 



transparency, and almost its sight ; which was so very weak, that it could 

 scarcely perceive the greatest light when placed before it. The cornea appeared 

 all over red, but without any inflammation or blood vessels ; receiving its 

 colour from the blood poured in upon the aqueous humour. 



I saw the patient the 6th day alter he had received the hurt : he had been let 

 blood thrice; and the 8th day I caused the cornea to be opened near the middle; 

 my design being to make a large orifice, I determined not to make it at the 

 bottom of the cornea. The orifice being made, there issued forth some drops 

 of the aqueous humour mixed with blood. The cornea still appeared as red as 

 before, and was protuberant. This circumstance made me resolve immediately 

 on a second orifice, as large as the former, but lower : there issued some drops 

 of the humour ; and the eye appeared not so red and convex as before. The 

 humour continued issuing from the orifice for some time. We applied nothing 

 to the eye, but a compress, or stupe, dipped in a mixture of 4 ounces of plan- 

 tain-water, and 2 ounces of a vulnerary water. The day after the operation, 

 the upper part of the cornea was transparent, the lower part not so red, and 

 the whole membrane appeared to have recovered its natural convexity. It seems 

 that all the extravasated blood would have quite run out, had the lower part of 

 the cornea been opened, and remained so for some time. I observed the altera- 

 tions of the eye for three days together ; in which time the extravasated blood 

 seemed some times to spread over the whole cavity of the cornea. We judged 

 that the motion used by the patient himself, had opened anew some blood 

 vessel, or had mixed the extravasated blood with the aqueous humour ; for we 

 did not perceive all that time that there was any fresh eifusion of blood. 



The 5th day after the first two incisions, I caused a third to be made at the 

 bottom of the cornea : some drops of the humour issued out, and continued so 

 to do for some time; and in two days after, the eye recovered its natural trans- 

 parency. The pupil was now very much dilated ; but gradually it contracted 

 again, but not to its usual smallness. The iris kept its motion all this while; 

 so that we cannot suspect that the lancet, in making the incision on the cornea, 

 anywise touched on the iris, because the pupil continued exactly round : and a 

 blow that is able to divide the continuity of the parts of the eye, and cause a 

 suffusion of blood, is but too capable of depriving the iris of its natural power 

 of contracting. The pupil, which before the blow was one line in diameter 

 when the iris was contracted, is at least two lines in diameter at present. The 

 transparency of the humours, and convexity of the cornea are the same as be- 

 fore. The sight is now restored; and there remains no other alteration than 

 what necessarily follows from the like dilatation of the pupil. 



