188 TRANSLATIONS FROM CONTINENTAL JOURNALS. 
are to be avoided, and bleeding is condemned as most dan¬ 
gerous. Even if you are sure that the inflammation is acute, 
and the subject is not of a lymphatic constitution, bleeding 
should not be resorted to in affections of the eyes, as, in the 
opinion of the author, it is never attended with benefit. But 
when the eyes present the gray, slaty, or greenish colour of 
the cornea, and aqueous humour, with the other ordinary 
symptoms, then bleeding should be most carefully avoided, 
and no debilitating remedies employed, for instead of these 
promoting the cure, they weaken the parts and aggravate the 
disease. A convert to the physiology of Broussais, at my exit 
from the school of Alfort, the author adds,—when a horse was 
presented to me, having an affection of the eyes, presenting 
weeping, tumefaction, redness of the lids, &c., I always bled, 
and ordered a low diet for the patient, and to this generally 
followed the antiphlogistic treatment, but it was always 
without any good effect; and as it was the general opinion 
that this malady was incurable, I did not feel disappointed at 
the number of unsuccessful cases that came under my care. 
But soon the following case occurred:—In June, 1828, 
a lady of Rheims had a mare which had a foal, this was sent 
to a farmer in the Ardennes at five years old. It was sold to 
a post-master, having had two attacks of specific ophthalmia. 
I was consulted on the case by the post-master, who had taken 
the affection of the eyes into account at the time of the pur¬ 
chase, and I recommended bleeding and a restriction of the 
rations of oats, in order to preserve the sight as long as 
possible. The owner, however, did nothing of the kind. 
Bad eyes, he said, did not prevent the horse doing post-work, 
while bleeding and a short allowance of oats would have pre¬ 
vented it; for the present he must work, and when he is 
knocked up you may bleed him. The fact was, that the horse 
worked for three years, during which time he had no attack 
of ophthalmia. Afterwards, his legs failing him, he was sold, 
and put to farm work, where he was fed on a less stimulating 
diet, and soon after the malady reappeared. The sight of the 
right eye was all but lost, and the left eye was seriously com¬ 
promised in less than a twelvemonth after. Sixteen months 
after this the horse was sold for the third time to run in a 
diligence, when he was again put on full allowance of oats, 
&c., and his sight soon recovered, and he had no fresh attacks 
of the malady. From this time, the author says, my faith in 
the various therapeutics recommended for specific ophthalmia 
was effectually shaken. 
