2oo6 DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF SPECIAL SENSE 



Accommodation Paralysis. — Accommodation paralysis and spasm 

 of the muscles of accommodation have been described by Bull and 

 Slitting. 



Trypanosomiasis. 



Choroiditis, cyclitis, iritis, and optic neuritis of a temporary 

 nature, are reported as occurring in sleeping sickness, as well as 

 engorgement of the iris and loss of the light reflex, with wide dilata- 

 tion of the pupil. 



Relapsing Fevers. 



IridO'Cyclitis, or iritis, is a frequent complication of the relapsing 

 fevers, and though it ultimately ends in a cure, it is usually pro- 

 tracted. 



Plague. 



Conjunctivitis is common in plague as an initial symptom; later 

 a plastic uveitis with hypopyon and keratitis may occur, and call 

 for special treatment by administration of mercury, local installa- 

 tion of atropine, and blood extraction by leeches. 



Leprosy. 



In tubercular leprosy yellowish translucent nodules of a non- 

 vascular nature may develop in the conjunctiva near the cornea. 

 Iritis and cyclitis, with or without the formation of nodules, may 

 occur. According to Wood, more than half the anaesthetic lepers 

 of South Africa suffer from eye complications — e.g., paralysis of the 

 orbicularis palpebrarum, ectropion of the lower lids, epiphora, 

 corneal opacity, and ulcerations. Of the tubercular lepers he says 

 90 per cent, are affected in the first ten years of the disease, and if they 

 survive they become blind. They suffer from invasion of the lids, 

 conjunctivae, sclerotic, cornea, and iris by the disease, and in addition 

 may suffer from paralysis of the ciliary muscle and irido-cyclitis. 

 Heymans finds lagophthalmos to be common. In 19 15 Stanziale pub- 

 lished experiments on the eye of rabbits, injecting leprotic material 

 into the cornea. 



Cholera. 



Focal necrosis in the cornea and conjunctiva has been reported in 



convalescence from cholera, while a form of cataract depending 



upon the abstraction of water takes place at times in the last stage 



of the disease. ^ 



Dysentery. 



Conjunctivitis, keratitis, iritis, and irido-cyclitis are reported in 

 dysentery, both amoebic and bacterial. 



Hikan. 



Under this term a curious disease is described by various ob- 

 servers, among whom Jeanselme and Risb. The main symptoms 

 appear to be hemeralopia, xerophthalmia, dryness of the skin, and 

 diarrhoea occurring in young children in Russia, Brazil, and Japan. 

 The causation is unknown,^but treatment by cod-liver oil is said to 

 be very efficacious. 



