86 BACTEKIOLOGY OF THE EYE 



or disinfecting as a means of preventing wound infection. For this 

 reason experimental research methods were first employed by Bernheim. 

 Bach and Neumann have shown that localized smooth areas of the 

 conjunctiva can be often cleaned quite free from organisms, even 

 when they are very plentiful ; the whole conjunctival sac, however, 

 cannot be so purified. 



Bernheim carried out experiments on the conjunctiva, which he 

 infected with easily recognizable organisms. 1 His method was fol- 

 lowed by Bach, 2 using Staplt. aureus and the red Kieler water bacillus. 

 Hildebrand, Marthen, Van Genderen-Stort, Strohschein, Franke, 3 

 Morax, Gifford, 4 Blagoweschenski, 5 Bardelli, 6 Dal6n (loc. cit.), Des- 

 pagnet, 7 Yelez, 8 De Lieto-Yollaro, Ahlstroem, etc., however, estimated 

 the number and pathogenicity of the organisms naturally found on 

 the conjunctiva before and after cleansing. 



All these researches, and the whole discussion, can be summed up 

 by saying that cleansing the conjunctiva with the usual antiseptics has 

 no advantage over a simple treatment with saline solution, as in a 

 permissible strength their disinfecting power is very slight, and stronger 

 solutions cannot be used on account of their irritating properties. 



The previously mentioned researches of Andogski show the extremely 

 low resistance of the vitreous, and how very rapidly organisms multiply 

 in it. In many injuries (perforating wounds, etc.) the organisms are 

 exclusively localized in the vitreous, or at least show a marked preference 

 for this situation. Such are the cases which Straub 9 designated 

 ' hyalitis,' as the exudation in these ' vitreous inflammations ' or 

 ' vitreous abscesses ' is derived from the neighbouring tissues. This 

 property is not so marked in vitreous which has been boiled and 

 sterilized. Herrnheiser, in his researches into the nutrient value of 

 sterilized vitreous for certain pathogenic Bacteria (Prag. Mcd. Woch., 

 1894, Nos. 22, 24), found that, with the exception of diphtheria, 



1 On such artificially infected conjunctive the determining influence of the lid motion 

 on the passage of fluid through the nose is most easily demonstrated (Van Genderen-Stort, 

 Bach, Schirmer). 



2 See here literature up to 1894, A. f. 0., xl. 2. 



3 A.f. 0., 1893, xxxix., S. 1. 



4 Arch, of Ophth., xxvii. 6 ; A. f. A., 1899, xxxix. 106 ; Jour, of Amer. Med. Assoc., 

 October, 1903. 



5 Inaug. Diss., St. Petersburg, 1895. 



6 Ann. di Ottal., 1896, xxv. 48. 7 Jtecueil d' Ophth., July, 1895. 

 8 These de Concours, 1899 ; Ann. d'Ocul., cxxii. 459. 



8 Ophth. Congress, Heidelberg, 1878 and 1896 ; Need. Tijdsch. voor Gcneesk, 1903, 

 i. 925 ; also Vogelsang, ' Bijd. tos de kennis der ontsteking van het Glasachtig Lichaam ' 

 (Dissertation, Amsterdam, 1907). I cannot entirely agree with the idea of 'hyalitis,' 

 seeing that the vitreous substance itself does not conduce to the formation of inflammatory 

 exudations, especially their cellular elements. It is noticeable that infections and exudations 

 are often enough limited to the vitreous, and such cases can show special peculiarities. 



