Scuwarzpacu.—The Effects of School Life on Sight. 473 
efforts of some of our scientific men, who have repeatedly drawn the atten- 
tion of the public and of the officials towards the causes which endanger a 
whole nation to advance from the stage of short sight to that of weak sight. 
Hirschberg in Berlin, Cohn in Breslau, Sibreich in London, and others, have 
lectured and written on the subject; and it is my intention in this short 
paper to give a hurried synopsis of their opinions and of my own observa- 
tions in this matter. 
The changes in the functions of the visual organ, which are imme- 
diately developed under the influence of school-life, are the following :— 
1. Decrease of the range of vision. 
2. Decrease of the acuteness of vision. 
8. Decrease of the endurance of vision. 
1. Decrease of the range of vision,—short sight,—(Myopia) is that con- 
dition of the eye in which rays of light are united in front of the retina in 
consequence of an extension of the axis of the eye. 
As a rule, shortsightedness appears only feebly developed in children, 
and with proper attention could be stayed, often removed. The most dan- 
gerous time for such eyes are the years between eight and fifteen. The 
visual organ is then in a state of change and growth, and very susceptible 
to outer influences, the effects of which become easily settled and per- 
manent. When the children look persistently at near and small objects, an 
undue pressure on the eye is produced by the accommodation muscle, as 
well as by the accumulation of blood, caused by the stooping position, thus 
gradually expanding the visual axis. The young scholar not only remains 
shortsighted, but the defects increase in proportion to the admittance of 
injurious influences. The sedentary occupations of learned men, or watch- 
makers, engravers, and others furnish us with a striking example how 
easily the power of sight for distant objects may be impaired. Short- 
sighted eyes should not only be guarded against over-straining, especially 
against evening work, but proper counter-influences against the prime 
causes should be instituted. In the same degree as excessive working on 
near objects may gradually produce an expansion of the eyeball from the 
front to the back, in the same degree could this be prevented by practising 
the sight upon distant objects, by much outdoor exercise (also school-gym- 
nastics) and carefully guarding against that which is obnoxious to a normal 
development of the organ. And in sinning against this normally natural 
development, the schools in particular may be accused. Excessive read- 
ing predominates over oral teaching in too greata measure. I do not mean 
so much in the rural schools or lower public schools, but in the universities 
and colleges, where a vast amount of mental work must be accomplished 
in order to enter with honorary degrees into professional life. If extensive 
