356 DISEASES OF THE EYES. 



secretion from the affected person placed on the conjunctiva of the 

 dog. Guilraot says that gonorrhceal secretion of the dog itself is 

 the cause of this disease, but this assertion is combated by Moller, 

 whose experiments with secretions of preputial gonorrhoea in the 

 dog have always given negative results. 



Therapeutic Treatment of Inflammation. If the disease 

 is produced by foreign bodies, an eruption, etc., we have to remove 

 the cause first. If we have to deal with dirt, coal-dust, or small 

 bodies, it is sufficient to wash out the eye with a little syringe, such 

 as a hypodermatic without a needle. If the bodies are adherent, 

 such as iron fragments, sand, etc., accompanied by convulsive 

 movements of the lids and intense secretion of tears, we must 

 apply a certain amount of cocaine to the eye, remove the foreign 

 bodies, or wipe them off by means of a blunt probe or sound, cov- 

 ered by a handkerchief. Then keep the animal away from strong 

 light, smoke, etc. 



In ophthalmic catarrh we must use astringents, such as sulphate 

 of zinc, sulphate of copper, and nitrate of silver. These must be 

 used in mild solutions, such as 0.2 to 0.75 per cent. These solu- 

 tions may be applied by means of a camel's hair pencil put between 

 the lids and washed off in a short time with clean water; or we 

 may apply nitrate of silver, following it up a few minutes after- 

 ward with a 2 per cent, solution of chloride of sodium. Alum 

 solutions are also useful for washing or painting the inflamed 

 membrane. In pronounced photophobia we may paint the con- 

 junctiva with a solution of cocaine or tincture of opium and gum 

 arable. In chronic cases apply ointments of calomel, 10 to 20 per 

 cent. ; oxide of mercury, 3 to 5 per cent. ; or iodoform, 20 per cent. 



In chronic catarrh of the eyes a very effective method of reduc- 

 ing the irritation is to blow small quantities of calomel directly on 

 the membrane. Follicular conjunctivitis may be removed by 

 astringents, but in the acute forms which occur on the surface of 

 the membrana nictitans we can only remove them by surgically 

 removing the membrane. This is cut out in the following manner: 



Removal of the Membrana Nictitans. We first place the eye 

 under the influence of a few drops of a 4 per cent, solution of 

 cocaine, then by means of a light suture needle we run a thread 

 through the membrane and lift it up as far as possible from the 

 eye. By means of a pair of scissors we then cut the enlarged 



