WHEN the large ' Handbook of the Pathogenic Micro-organisms ' was 

 issued in 1903 by Kolle and Wassermann, it was my intention to 

 enlarge and bring out in book form the material which I contributed 

 to it. Other work has been given precedence, but in view of the oft- 

 repeated request that I should carry out my intention, I cannot put it 

 off any longer. 



In that Handbook, which was especially written for bacteriologists, 

 the pathogenic organisms in ophthalmology were only discussed in so 

 far as they showed special peculiarities. In this work, which is not 

 only written for the bacteriologist, but also for the ophthalmic surgeon, 

 a wider view is taken of the subject. 



For the common organisms also the necessary biological descrip- 

 tions are given shortly, and a table at the end, in the style of Lehmann 

 and Neumann, makes the comparison and diagnosis by culture easy. 



Several new chapters appear : ' The Normal Conjunctiva '; ' The 

 Bacteriological Basis of our Asepsis, and of Wound Infection ' ; 

 'Diseases of the Lids'; 'The Orbit'; 'Endogenous Infection of the 

 Eye.' Syphilis, leprosy, and tubercle are also discussed. The other 

 chapters are an extended revision of what appeared in the Handbook. 

 For convenience, especially in teaching, I have added special instructions 

 in the technique of the examination and diagnosis of cases coming 

 within scope of this work. 



Naturally no complete statement of general bacteriological principles 

 will be undertaken. Every modern medical man has had the oppor- 

 tunity of becoming acquainted with the elementary facts regarding 

 the bacteria, and the means by which their study is carried out, and 

 the textbooks of hygiene and bacteriology can be consulted for any 

 special points. Nor [does a complete statement of the question of 

 immunity come into the range of this volume, though it has been 

 taken into consideration in the study of the infectious eye diseases, 

 their diagnosis and treatment. 



