166 
Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 
"With regard to the degenerative changes observed by Cohnheim in 
the cornea corpuscles, I have not much to say. I have very seldom 
noticed in the cells the formation of vucuoles on which he places so 
much stress. Strieker" has found this phenomenon to be more common 
in the summer months than in the colder part of the year, but he has 
also observed movements in the vacuolated cells which make him 
believe that they are not so dead and degenerate as Cohnheim 
supposes. 
Kitrate of silver exerts an influence on the cornea extending to a 
considerable distance beyond the point touched by the caustic. This is 
seen by the absence of suppuration immediately around the eschar, 
and by the fact that corne^e irritated with nitrate of silver in general 
stain well with chloride of gold only at the margin. In the part about 
the cauterisation the stellate corpuscles can be seen for some time 
retaining their normal shape. What becomes of them subsequently I 
cannot say, but I believe they take no part in the formation of pus. 
The intercellular substance of this altered region presents sometimes a 
wavy fibrillar appearance, obscuring the cellular elements altogether ; 
at other times it remains homogeneous. The breadth of this passive 
portion of the cornea is very variable, depending probably on the 
severity of the cauterisation, and its extent determines the distance from 
the central eschar of what I have called the zone of proliferation. 
The usual fate of a cornea in which inflammation has been excited 
in one of the ways mentioned, is to soften and burst. This is, I believe, 
invariably the case when a thread is passed through the eye, and the 
irritation is thus persistent. But from some facts I have observed, I 
am led to believe that after cauterisation the cornea may recover itself 
even after extensive suppuration, and that this recovery takes place by 
the reformation of spindles from the pus cells, and the formation of a 
kind of fibrous tissue. The steps of this process, and whether the 
normal structure of the cornea is ever completely restored must be 
matter for further investigation. 
Those acquainted with the researches of Professor Strieker on 
inflammation, will perceive that the results at which he has arrived 
agree very closely with those put forth in this report. I had quite 
satisfied myself of the main points contained in this communication 
before I saw Strieker's papers, and I was much gratified at finding so 
close an agreement between his opinions and mine. I feel myself, 
however, much indebted to the writings of Professor Strieker and his 
pupils for having directed my attention to many minor matters which I 
should possibly otherwise have overlooked. 
