Field of Vision. 



47 



authors have made perimetric observations for the purpose of 

 determining whether the various drugs used exerted any influence 

 on the field of vision. The antipyretics studied and taken by 

 month were: Acetanilid in doses of 5 to 8 grs., acetphenetidin in 

 doses of 5 grs., antipyrine, in doses of 4 to 8 grs., quinine in doses 

 of 5 grs., pyramidon in doses of 5 and 6 grs., aspirin in doses of 

 5 and 10 grs., salol in doses of 5 and 8 grs., and certain combina- 

 tions such as acetanilid plus salol, 5 grs. each; aspirin plus salol, 

 5 grs. each; aspirin and antipyrine, 5 grs. each; acetphenetidin 

 plus salol, 5 grs. each, and acetanilid and acetphenetidin, 5 grs. 

 each. The effect of these antipyretics was then compared with 

 the action of morphine and a comb'nation of total opium alkalo'ds 

 (pantopon) administered hypodermically in ordinary therapeutic 

 doses to the same subjects on different days. The experiments 

 were made on the authors themselves and a few of their colleagues 

 with an ordinary perimeter, testing the field of vision for four 

 colors, namely, white, blue, red and green. 



It was found that the opiates, morphine and pantopon, taken 

 by injection in every case produced a definite though very slight 

 contraction of the field of vision. As between morphine and pan- 

 topon, little difference was noted; yet it may be well to state that 

 in two out of three subjects on whom the observations were made, 

 the morphine injections seemed to produce a slightly greater limi- 

 tation of the field of vision than pantopon. 



Of the antipyretics studied it was found that they produced 

 either no change in the field of vision at all or had a slight tendency 

 to increase it. This was especially noted in case of acetanilid, 

 acetphenetidin, aspirin, and the combinations acetanilid plus salol 

 and acetphenitidin plus salol, which in some of the experiments 

 produced a definite though not marked increase in the field of 

 vision. It was curious to note, furthermore, that the increase 

 was especially apt to occur in case of the white and blue colors, 

 which ordinarily under normal conditions give the largest field of 

 vision. 



The conclusions drawn from some of the observations are that 

 the opiates, while producing but little effect upon the field of 

 vision in the normal subject, when they do exert any influence, 

 tend to narrow the field; the antipyretics, on the other hand, 

 when any effect is to be noted, tend to increase the field of vision. 



