PATHOLOGY. 
Jofephine Academy. He is well known by bis opthal- 
mological as well as by his other writings, and efpecially 
by his treatifes upon the Difeafes of the Lachrymal Or¬ 
gans, and upon the Inflammation of the Iris. He wrote 
a confiderable part of the opthalmological Bibliothek of 
Himly ; and it were to be wilhed that fome of his coun¬ 
trymen would treat his memory with more refpeCt, and 
acknowledge what they have borrowed from his valuable 
communications to that journal. 
Dr. George Jofeph Beer has been for more than thirty 
years employed in the practice of this department of 
I'urgery. He was for many years extraordinary profeffor 
only ; but in the year 1815 a chair of practical ophthal¬ 
mology’' was founded in the univerfity, which has flnce 
been filled by this learned and enthufiaftic man. The 
name of profeifor Beer is already known in England. He 
is a voluminous author, but all his works are upon the 
fiubjeCt of his favourite lludy. 
The Clinic for the Difeafes of the Eye has undergone 
various improvements within the laft ten years. It has 
exifted in its prefent lituation in the General Hofpital, 
and with its prefent arrangements, fince November 1816. 
The clinic confifts of an auditorium, and of two wards, 
on the fecond floor of the hofpital. The auditorium is 
well lighted, and neatly covered in green. The windows 
are fofupplied with flutters and curtains, that the light 
can be in an inftant increafed or diminiflied. A large 
ealtern window fupplies the light admitted during ope¬ 
rations. Befides feats for one hundred and fifty ftudents, 
this room contains a cathedra of an oval form, raifed 
about a foot and a half from the floor, and furrounded 
by an iron baluftrade. From this the leflures are de¬ 
livered, and it is ufed alfo for the operations, being large 
enough to contain a patient, along with the profeffor, 
the alfiftant, and the ordinarius, or pupil to vrhofe care 
the patient is intruded. A collection of inftruments and 
bandages both for the ufe of the clinic, and for the il- 
luffration of the hiftory of ophthalmology ; a collection of 
anatomical and pathological preparations of the eye ; and 
a library of printed books, manufcripts, and drawings, 
illuftrative of the ftruCture and difeafes of that organ ; 
are contained in the auditorium. The duff of negleft is 
not allowed to gather on any of thefe collections. They 
are, on the contrary, yearly increafing. The library is 
open to the ftudents. The auditorium is adorned with a 
buft of the prefent emperor; and portraits of Baron 
Protomedicus Von Stilt, the director of medical ftudy in 
the Auftrian dominions ; and of the following diftin- 
guiflied furgeons; Scarpa, Richter, Schmidt, Barth, 
and Prochalka. Each ward is about the fame fize as the 
auditorium, is alfo coloured green, and contains twelve 
beds. The wards are feparated from the auditorium by 
two fmall rooms appropriated to the ufe of the nurfes. 
In the middle of each ward is a long table, which ferves 
Jioth as a dining-table for the patients, and alfo for laying 
out the bandages, inftruments, and medicines, made tffe 
of at the vifit. The windows are fupplied with fhutters 
and curtains. Each bed has three fuch fubftitutes lor 
curtains as we have already defcribed at p. 64. The 
wards are furniftied with every thing neceflary both for 
the ftriCtnefs of clinical inftruCtion, and for the peculiar 
care of patients affeCted with dileales of the eye. A fa- 
laried alfiftant, refiding in the hofpital, is alfo attached to 
this clinic. 
The inftruCtions delivered in this inftitution, which, 
as in the other clinics, are continued uninterruptedly for 
ten months, are given in the following order. The lec¬ 
tures on Practical Ophthalmology are delivered every 
morning, Saturdays and Sundays excepted, from ten to 
eleven o’clock, in the German language. The ledtures 
commence with a very complete account of the anatomy 
and phyliology of the eye, in which conllant reference 
is made to the morbid changes to which the various tex¬ 
tures of that organ are liable. The difleCtions of the eye 
and of the neighbouring parts, which are made for this 
67 
part of thecourfe, are very numerous, and are executed 
with great care, chiefly by profeffor Beer himfelf. Stu¬ 
dents can readily procure admiflion when thefe diffec- 
tions are preparing; and thus have an opportunity of 
becoming more intimately acquainted with the practical 
anatomy of the eye, and with lome peculiarities in Pro- 
feffor Beer’s mannerof demonftrating that organ. Under 
the anatomy of the eye, Profeffor Beer includes the of- 
teology of the orbit, and the demonftration of the muf- 
cles, blood-veffels, nerves, and all other parts connected 
with the organ of vilion. H§ borrows frequent illuftra- 
tions from the comparative anatomy of the eye; and pof- 
feffes a finer collection of original drawings in this par¬ 
ticular department than is perhaps in the hand of any 
other anatomift. To this part of the courfe, which lafts 
.about two months, follows a few leftures upon the man¬ 
ner in which the difeafed eye ought to be examined. 
The next and principal part of the courfe continues for 
nearly fix months, and is occupied with the pathology of 
the eye, and the medical and furgical treatment of its 
difeafes. The whole concludes with a hiftory of opthal- 
mology from the mod ancient times to the prefent, and 
a critical review of the moft celebrated works in this 
fcience. 
Daily, from eleven to twelve, Saturdays and Sundays 
included, the ftriClly-praCtical inftruftions are given, 
partly at the bed-fides of the patients who have been ad¬ 
mitted into the clinic, and partly in the review of the 
ambulatory or out-patients. The plan followed by pro¬ 
feffor Beer is to bring every new and interefting patient, 
whether he be afterwards to remain in the clinic, or to 
be an out-patient only, into the auditorium, and to place 
him in the cathedra. Any one of the ftudents may now 
offer himfelf to be the ordinarius, or candidatus uj]ijlens , 
for this patient; and, entering the cathedra, may exa¬ 
mine the fymptoms, pronounce a diagnofis and prognofis, 
and propofe a plan of treatment. Ail this is done under 
the correftion of profeffor Beer, whofe earned defire to 
communicate inftruCtion in thefe practical exercifes merits 
the moft unequivocal applaufe. It is here perhaps that 
profeffor Beer moft diftinguifties himfelf. We do not 
mean to leffen his fame as an eye-operator, already fo 
widely and fo well eftablifhed ; but we muff confefs thafi 
it was ever as a diagnoftician that he appeared to us to 
rife beyond all' rivalfhip. 
The number of ftudents who attended this clinic from 
1814 to 1817 was as follows : 
1814- 15, in. Of thefe 65 were not Auftrians. 
1815- 16, 170. ... 92. 
1816- 17, 199- ... 104.. 
The number of patients and of operations was as fol¬ 
lows : 
In-Patients. 
Out-Patients. 
Operations. 
For Cataract. 
1814-15, 96 
1 14 
92 
60 
1815-16, 106 
158 
78 
57 
1816-17, 115 
1 80 
96 
59 
We have already taken notice (p. 58,62) of the method 
of inftruClion by what are called privatijfima. Thole of 
profeffor Beer are extremely valuable. He gives a fiiort 
courfe of the operative furgery of the eye, repeats the 
different operations, and explains, as hegoes along, every 
ftep and minutiae in their performance ; and then direCfs 
the pupil in the repetition of each of them upon the dead 
fubjeCt. After attending one of thefe private courfes, 
the pupil is allowed to operate upon the living fubject. 
Upwards of thirty heads are employed in a courfe. 
Daily, at three o’clock in the afternoon, profeffor Beer 
gives advice to the poor in his own houfe; and to this 
houfe-clinic, as it is called, ftudents are admitted. Many 
of the lefs fevere difeafes of the eye may here be obferved, 
which are not fo frequently feen at the hofpital; and the 
Undent finds in profeffor Beer a friend ever ready to ex¬ 
plain, and to aflift him in the examination of the cafes. 
The fee for the clinic is twenty-five paper guldens 
yearly. 
