NEWSLETTER OF THE OPTOMETRIC HISTORICAL SOCIETY (7000 Chippewa Street, Saint Louis, Missouri, Volume 8 October 1977 First formal business meeting: Though in its eighth year of operation, the Optometric Historical Society had never held a formal business meeting for officers or members until July 5, 1977. Four of the five members of the Executive Committee and the Editor met from 3:00 to 4:00 P.M. The general membership meeting followed from 4:00 to 5:00 P.M. with about 20 O.H.S. members and about 20 other interested persons present. The program at the membership meeting included three 10- minute talks by Editor Hofstetter, President Knoll, and Secretary-Treasurer Dablemont. Hofstetter gave an account of the origins of the society, Knoll gave a review of John R. Levene•s new history book entitled 11 Clinical Refraction and Visual Science", and Dablemont described the concepts, methodology, and objectives of oral history applicable to optometry. The remaining 30 minutes were given over to open discussion, which included a brief response from Dr. Levene, several suggestions for future Society projects, and discussions of membership development, finances, and the possibility of creating an optometric Hall of Fame. Reported at this assembly was a surprise action by the Executive Board to make H.W. Hofstetter the first Fellow of the Society. President Knoll read the accolade. The Secretary-Treasurer reported a current financial balance of $2,008.86 and a total membership of 160, of whom 133 had already paid 1977 dues. Forty-five of the members are from outside of the United States, from the followin~ countries: Australia (4), Belgium (1), Canada (4), Columbia (1), England {5), France (1), Hong Kong (1), India (2), Italy (2), Japan (1), Netherlands (1), New Zealand (2), Philippines (1), Poland (1), Puerto Rico (12}, South Africa (3),•sweden (1}, Switzerland (.1), and Thailand (1). How and when we began: (The following account was given by your editor at the history seminar on July 5 at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) Though the OHS is officially less than 10 years old, its two primary originators, Maria Dablemont and I, are already in some disagreement as to the precise date of commitment to its formation. What we do agree on is the great frequency with which we said to each other, "There ought to be an optometric historical society!" I am perfectly confident that Maria said it first, with the invariably added admonition that I should organize it. This dialogue began in the middle sixties. The most precipitous moment occurred in my home on the evening of Labor Day, September 2, 1968, following a splendid dinner my wife had fixed for three visitors from the AOA headquarters and ourselves, i.e. my wife, my younger daughter, and me. At the time, I was a little more than two months 56 into my AOA presidential term. The three visitors were Maria Dablemont, her assistant Andrea La Grue, and another assistant whose name escapes me. When the topic of discussion t~rned once again to the formation of a historical society I agreed to take the initiative, but not until after the end of my AOA presi­ dential term. This we all agreed was proper, especially to avoid any misinter­ pretation that the society was a subsidiary of the AOA. It had to stay entire­ ly on its own. Thereupon we discussed all of the details that should go into the consti­ tution and by-laws, --the name, membership dues, officers, governing council, membership eligibility, purposes, election procedures, newsletter, publicity, etc. Of these matters I took note, and before the evening was ended we took cognizance of the fact that for all practical purposes the Optometric Historical Society was finally indeed conceived. The next few months, and especially after the July 9-12, 1969, AOA Congress in Philadelphia, the by-laws were developed and revised until both Maria and I were satisified. Then a letter was prepared to go out on August 28 to the following 10 persons: Maurice Cox, Maria Dablemont, James Gregg, Arthur Hoare, Henry Hofstetter, Ernest Kiekenapp, John Levene, Maxwell Miller, Leroy Ryer, and Sol Tannebaum. The letter read as follows: This letter and the enclosed draft of a set of by-laws for an Optometric Historical Society is being sent to 10 persons of my acquaintance who have been concerned very actively and obviously with optometric history as a subject of avid interest. If you would be sufficiently interested in seeing this sort of activity started, please let me know whether you would be willing to serve as an organizing member of the Executive Board. As soon as I receive favorable answers from five of you I shall propose that these five be the 11 initial membership on the Executive Board 11 , and I shall circu­ late a copy of the by-laws for their five signatures (and payment of $5.00 in dues for 1970.) Immediately after that I shall get out a short release to the optometric periodicals inviting membership subscriptions. I am guessing that we are likely to attract about 50 to 100 subscribers. The Society response, in turn, will be a very brief NEWSLETTER, Vol. 1, issue No.1, in which I may quote interesting paragraphs from your responses. Depending on the financial status, I shall then try to get a quarterly NEWSLETTER out during 1970, made-up essentially of contributions of, and letters from, members. I shall also process the first election of officers from among the 11 initial membership on the Executive Board 11 • In addition to these intended activities I shall attempt to operate the project more-or-less singlehandedly until the organization takes on enough shape to enable it to operate itself in a more democratic manner. I shall assume full responsibility for funds, their receipt and expenditure, until officers are elected. I am enclosing a copy of the first draft of a press release if and when five of you respond favorably. Sincerely, H.W. Hofstetter 57 The first to respond, by telegram, was the late Dr. Arthur Hoare, and he was also the first to pay dues, on September 15, 1969. All ten responded favorably except that one, Mr. Cox, had some concern that the activities of the O.H.S. might be interpreted to compete with those of the recently established ADA Committee on Optometric History. On September 30, 1969, a round robin letter went out to the first five respondents together with the officer election ballots and the original copy of the by-laws to be signed in spaces designating 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 year terms on the Executive Committee. Each of the five modestly signed in the space for the successively shortest term in the order of Dablemont, Hoare, Tannebaum, Levene, and finally me. The returned election ballots, as reported to me by my office secretary, Judy Fleetwood, showed Maria Dablemont elected as Secretary-Treasurer, John Levene as Vice-President, and me as President for the calendar year of 1970. In the meantime, on October 31, 1969, a brief press release announcing the organization of the Society and inviting anyone interested to remit $5.00 for membership dues was sent to optometric periodicals throughout the world. By January 1, 1970 we had 33 paid up members, whom we identified as "founding members", and a cash accumulation of $269.04. Two members LeRoy Ryer and Maxwell Miller, had paid us $10.00 each for two year's dues, and one, E.J. Hunt, included an extra $100.00 donation in memory of his mother. The first issue of the Newsletter was mailed out early in January of 1970. Practically every subsequent Society development has been duly recorded in this quarterly publication together with occasional releases to the optometric press. Two subsequent developments, however, deserve to be mentioned here. One was the incorporation of the O.H.S., as a not-for-profit corporation in the state of Missouri on April 2, 1973. The other was the listing of the O.H.S. on February 26, 1975, as having tax exempt status so that its donors may deduct contributions for tax benefit purposes. i We now can say with confidence that the Optometric Historical Society is a firmly established organization with world-wide membership, a solid reputa­ tion, a sound fiscal basis, and all of the technical and legal qualifications to enable it to pursue its aims aggressively and in perpetuity. The ophthalmic side of history: This is the title of an article by O.H.S. Executive Board Member Sol Tannebaum in the January 9, 1976, issue of The Optician (London), Vol. 171, No. 4415, pages 4, 6, and 8-9, a paper given at the European Optometric Society Congress in Paris in November 1975. In it he develops the theme that optometry and ophthalmology had clearly different origins and progressed in very different channels, beginning to overlap and to some extent blend only in the 20th century. 58 The Drs • .B:f.gr_ and Hota 1 i nq: Here is a copy of Dr. Elmer LeRoy Ryer's bookplate, drawn and designed by his long time professional associate and co-author Dr. Elmer E. Hotaling: The actual plates are in a sepia tone not reproduceable in this newsletter. The original drawing, in the International Library, Archives, and Museum of Optometry, is approximately 30 x 45 em. (12" x 18"). In a handwritten memo­ randum Dr. Ryer referred to the bookplate as "evidence bearing on Hotaling's fine character." When asked for an interpretation, said Dr. Ryer, Dr. Hotaling explained that it was "meant to convey the truth about Ryer - he built castles in the air but kept one foot on the ground." Many, if not perhaps all, of the numerous details suggest interest, hobbies, inventions, and ideas associated with Dr. Ryer's life and career. Early convention elegance: A postcard from a Mr. Norman Wilcox of Rochester, New York, advised that he would sell for"$6.00 plus postage" a "medal from the 16th Annual Convention of the American Opticru Association, Rochester, N.Y. July 1913". I bought it! Mr. Wilcox said he had no knowledge of the history of the memento. 59 Indeed, it is the attendance badge of George Bausch, of solid brass except for the paper insert on which his name was typed. It weighs 1.35 ounces (38 gm) and its size is as illustrated below. - .J: l 1·' ~ The convention registration list in the July 24, 1913, issue of the Optical Journal and Review of Optometry, vol. 32, No.5, pp. 328-329 & 335, shows both a Mr. and Mrs. Geo. R. Bausch of Rochester, New York, registered. Other reports of the same convention show Mr. Bausch on the Convention Reception Committee and Mrs. Bausch active hosting the wives. The 1912 and 1914 Blue Books of Optometrists identify Mr. Bausch as an 1887 graduate of the Philadelphia Optical College and a member of the New York State Optical Society, the Optical Society of New York City, The Rochester Optical Society, and the American Optical Association. He was associated with Edward E. Bausch & Son Co. in Rochester. The lower oval pendant is an engraving of an eagle poised for flight, a branch, a flag, and a waving blue banner containing the words "American Optical Association" in raised letters. On the back, also in raised letters variously arranged, is the legend "COMPLIMENTS OF STANDARD OPTICAL CO. STOCO OPTICAL GOODS UNITED STATES LENS CO. MANUFACTURERS", the letters ~·i·~· inside the outline of a shield, and, in very small letters, "Bastian · · · Bros. Co. Rochester, N.Y." The top frame for the paper insert, incidentally, is backed by a slide­ in brass plate onto which is welded a sturdy spring-pin for attaching to the wearer's lapel. This plate in turn is soldered in place to prevent it from slipping out! 60 In sheer weight, elegance, ruggedness, motif, and design I think I have seen no other convention badge that would match this one. If indeed it symbolized the era, it could hardly be conjectured that optometry derived from humble circumstances. The abbreviations M.P.B. and P.I.U. are a mystery to me. I could not find them in three major dictionaries nor in any of the optical advertisements in journals of the same year. They are likely to remain an enigma, which I believe to be a very appropriate fate for all carelessly used abbreviations. The Rev. Chauncey Enoch Goodrich, 1801-1864: His obiturary in the July 7, 1864, issue of The Country Gentleman, page 19, prepared by 11 R.G. 11 of Lenox, Massachussetts, descrrDes the circumstances of his discovery and correction of his own astigmatism very succinctly as follows: 11 His scientific tendencies may be illustrated by an incident in his early history. From boyhood he had a defect in his vision, not arising from any weakness of his eyes, and which neither convex or concave spectacles would relieve. After leaving college, and on his way to Princeton, in going down the bay of New York he found that he could readily distinguish the transverse spars of the shipping, but could not the vertical ones. A gentleman who wore concave glasses was present, and upon borrowing them he could see the masts but the yards became indistinct. He concluded that the curvature sufficient to overcome the excessive curvature of the vertical section of his eyes, would afford him relief. A simple experi­ ment determined the exquisite curvature, and when obtaining such lenses, which were unheard of to opticians, his eyes were perfectly relieved ... A more detailed biographical account by John P. Gray, M.D., appeared in the 1863 edition of The Presbyterian Historical Almanac, and Annual Remembrance of the Church, Volume-7, Philadelphia, pages l60-l65. Dr. Gray, the Superin­ tendent of the New York State Lunatic Asylum, Utica, N.Y., where the Reverend Goodrich had been Chaplain for about 19 years until his death, added the following comments to those of the above-cited 11 R.G. 11 : 11While at Princeton, he invented, for this imperfection, a plano-concave cyl i ndri ca 1 1 ens, and perfected it through the kindness of r~ess rs. John McAllister and Son, of Philadelphia, who had glasses ground for him in France. These same glasses he used thirty-six years, until his death. 11 The account of his discovery of his own astigmatism, with the optical explanation of the correcting lens, was submitted for publication on Feb. 29, 1828, while he was in his last year at the Princeton Theological Seminary, New Jersey. His article, entitled 11 Notice of a peculiarity in Vision 11 appeared in the July 1828 issue of the American Journal of Science and Arts, Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 264-267. In this communication he stated that his observations 11While in the city of New York 11 with .. a pair of concave glasses, of No.5 ... viewing some shipping in the harbor 11 had occurred 11 Two years since 11 • This would place his discovery very early in 1826, or perhaps late in 1825 if we I 61 allow him at least a few weeks time to prepare the very extensive and meti­ culously detailed article with four line drawings. That it was probably earlier, during the summer of 1825, is indicated by its occurrence in New York City between his graduation from Union College, Schenectady, in 1925 and his matriculation at Princeton Theological Seminary, New Jersey, the same year. It seems reasonable that he went from Schenectady to Princeton via New York City. .·- In the same article he described precisely the toroidal feature of the lens which would correct his astigmatism and added, "but I know not that such a glass could be ground very readily. I have therefore been contented to procure plano cylindrically concave glasses, whose single curve is about equal to No. 5 of common spectacles. These spectacles I caused to be made in Philadelphia a few months since.n He added the following "Note" at the end of his article, "If such glasses as are mentioned above, can possibly be ground, I should be happy to be informed where, and by whom." His having worn the specially ground glasses obtained for him from France by the McAllister firm for "thirty-six years", as reported by Dr. Gray, would date their acquisition not later than early 1828, as he died on May 11, 1864. The circumstances of communication and shipping of the period, on both land and sea, combined with the complexity and novelty of this surely unprecedented lens order, would allow us to subtract many months of elapsed time from the early 1828 date for the initial invention. Just who was Goodrich? He was born September 19, 1801, in the eastern part of Troy, New York, a community now called Brunswick. He studied for the ministry and served in various ministerial roles during his life, but his more famous contri­ butions were in the development and cultivation of disease-resistant types of potatoes. His interests were scientific, and he was particularly fond of the natural sciences. He was a most careful observer and recorder of facts. Copies of the several documents from which the above information was excerpted were provided for me by the ILAMO, the International Library, Archives, and Museum of Optometry. For a very much more comprehensive discussion of the role of Goodrich in the discovery and correction of astigmatism see John R. Levene•s new history book, "Clinical Refraction and Visual Science," published in London by Butterworths, 1977. An early discourse on vision: Benedetto Castelli (1557- 1643) was Galileo•s oldest and closest pupil. His Discorso sopra la Vista was written and circulated among colleagues in 1639, but 1t was nor-pr1nted until 1669. The first and only English trans­ lation, by Piero E. Ariotti, was published in 1973 in the March issue of Annals of Science, Vol. 30, No.1, pages 1 - 30, under the title, "A Little 62 Known Early Seventeenth Century Treatise on Vision: Benedetto Castelli's Discorso Sopra laVista (1639, 1669)". Castelli was born in Brescia in Northern Italy. A man of the cloth, he was lecturer in mathematics first at Pisa, then at Rome. His treatise was published posthumously in Alcuni Opuscoli Filosofici del Padre D. Benedetto Castelli in Bologna, from the printing shop of G. Monti~669. It:included many elements of optics, ocular physiology, and visual psychology, in a thoroughly experimental approach. Especially delightful is his description of the Big Dipper (Orsa Maggiore) illusion. He had observed that it seemed smaller when it was at the zenith than it did when it was near the horizon. With instruments he measured the angular subtense in each position and obtained the same value both times. He recognized the explanation to be precisely the same as that for the more popularly known moon illusion. The translator is a professor of philosophy at the University of Western Australia, Nedlands (approximately the antipode of Bermuda). Nocturnal timepiece: Dr. Emil-Heinz Schmitz tells us that antique optical instruments continue to be available in the market place if one is willing to dig deep into his money bag. His commentary, entitled "Antike optische Instrumente sind noch kauflich zu erwerben ••. wenn man tief in den Geldbeutel greift" (translated in the preceding sentence), appears on page 601 of the June 1, 1976, issue of Der Augeno~tiker, Vol. 31, No. 6. Illustrated, .both front and back view, is a """l'rocturlab1um 11 or "Sternuhr", a kind of star-clock, which enables the user to tell time at night by star alignment. It is dated circa 1560 and carries a price tag of 9,200 DM ($3,700 or ~2,200). He cites this as a single example. He remarks that although individual optometrists (Augenoptiker) typically show little interest in the history of the art or the profession, they are readily fascinated by examples of early pieces of handwork, invention, or instrumentation. Wandering minstrel from Meissen: ~ Meissener, Meissner, Missener, Missner, or Mizener, usually with the German article "der" (the) in front of it, and often with the German adjective "alte 11 ( o 1 d) fo 11 owing "der", has given rise to frequent controversy concerning the origin or invention of spectacles. According to Dr. Elisabeth Karg-Gasterstadt, who authored the biographical account of "Der Meissner11 in Volume 3 of 11 Die Deutsche Literatur des Mittelalters; Verfasserlexikon" by Wolfgang Stammler, Berlin and Leipzig, Walter de Gruyter & Co., 1943, he was a verse writer of the latter half of the 13th century. 63 She points out that his literary style suggests him to be from central Germany, and that his identification as 11 the meissner11 suggests this also. As a wanderer he appears to have changed his residence often; whether he was ever in southern Germany is not definite, though he had contact with the Bohemian court and especially with the Marquises of Brandenburg, three of whom he provided with eulogies. Apparently 11 Der Meissner .. was not the same person as a knight named Henricus Misnere of the same period, or as Heinrich von Meissen (1250-1319) who, according to the highly reliable 11th edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11 Was one of the last minnesingers, and his pedantry and virtuosity entitle him to be called the first meistersinger ... The song or verse that prompts the spectacle question may be found on page 224 of the second volume (Zweiter Band) of an 1838 publication in Leipzig by Friedrich Heinrich von der Hagen entitled Minnesinger and sub­ titled Manessische Sammlung and Deutsche Liederdichter, apparently a re­ storation and expansion of a collection of 12th, 13th, and 14th century songs and verses collected and published in 1531 by RUdger Maness von Maneck as facsimiles of the Parisian manuscripts of Bernard Matlozen. The table of contents identifies song number 115 with 11 Der alte Meissener 11 • The caption of the three-part song itself on page 224 however is 11 Der alte Mizener11 and is parenthetically coded CCCXLII, perhaps a carry-over number from the Maness collection. The poetry is in what one might call brutally fractured German, analogous to Chaucerian English. Nevertheless there is no mistaking the passage which may be interpreted to say essentially, if age weakens our sight so that we can no longer see fine script then our recourse is through a light clear 11 Spiegel 11 which can clarify the writing. So what was meant by a 11 Spiegel 11 ? It currently means mirror or looking­ glass and possibly derives from the Latin word seecere meaning to look or behold. One early and authoritative German dict1onary said it means eye­ glasses, but other authoritative German experts have challenged this meaning on three counts: one, the lack of any other evidence that spectacles existed then; two, the phrase 11 einem •.• Spiegel 11 is clearly in the singular; and, three, hand-held magnifying lenses were in use at the time and therefore were a more plausible object of reference. The period of der Meissner•s poetry is usually suggested to be 1260- 1280, possibly following the dates assumed by Dr. Emil Bock in his 63 page 1903 book entitled 11 Die Brille and ihre Geschichte 11 {Spectacles and their History), Verlag von Josef Safar. He also gave the alternate spelling of 11Missner 11 , with 11Meissner 11 in parentheses. The spelling 11 Missener 11 is that of Emil-Heinz Schmitz in his 1961 book 11 Die Sehhilfe in Wandel der Jahrhunderte 11 (Visual Aids over the Centuries), Verlag SUdeutsche Optikerzeitung, Stuttgart. German authors consistently include the definite article 11 der 11 (the) with the noun Meissner or its variations in spelling. English-writing authors on the other hand typically treat the noun Meissner as though it were the surname, as I did in my OPTOMETRY book in 1948, as the late Gordon Walls did in his personal letter to me in 1956 which I mentioned in the April 1974 issue of this Newsletter, Vol. 5, No.2, p. 22, and as Edward Rosen did 64 in "The Invention of Eyeglasses", a series of articles in the Journal of History of Medicine, Vol. 11, January and April 1956, pp. 13-46 and 183-218. So, if the poet is to be called properly "the Meissner", what might the word Meissner or Meissener mean? It could of course mean a resident of Meissen, sometimes known as Misnia, a city in Saxony, now in East Germany, and very centrally located in the region in which the minnesingers exercised their talents. "Uncle Sam wants lQ.!!!": If my memory is correct, those were the words on a widely distributed army recruitment poster showing Uncle Sam pointing his finger at me and looking me squarely in the eye, no matter from what direction I viewed it. More than that, if I walked past the poster, both the eyes and the pointing finger followed me every step of the way. This was not merely my patriotic conscience dominating my sense of guilt, according to G.A. Wheatcroft in an article as long ago as June 1939 in The Dioptric Review, pages 103-111, entitled THE "FOLLOWING GAZE" ILLUSION.With a very thorough analysis supported by photographic evidence he concluded that " .•• psychological considerations, while adding to the apparent complexity of the illusion, in no way contradict the fact that geometrical optics gives the basic explanation." The term "following gaze" is new to me, and I do not know any other term for the well-known phenomenon that the eyes of a full-faced photograph or picture seem to follow the observer no matter at what angle the picture is viewed. It is not in the current edition of the Dictionary of Visual Science, but it is on the list of terms proposed for inclusion in the next edition. Mr. Wheatcroft, incidentally, is a practicing ophthalmic optician in Bridlington, England, and holds the prestigious office of President of the International Optometric and Optical League. He is of course a member of the Optometric Historical Society as well. Unorthodox and early: When did optometrists first undertake to incorporate hypnosis in their practice? A popular notion is that this may have been in the •4o•s. Not so. One contender for first place is O.H.S. member.George A. Wheatcroft whose article "Hypnosis in Orthoptics" appeared in the September 1937 issue of The Dioptric Review, Vol. 39, No.4, pages 321-337. That this was indeed early is suggested by the lead editorial in the same issue, pages 267-268, entitled, "Unorthodoxy - How Far?" The article itself is prefaced with a two paragraph commentary by editor "D.R." stating" •.• this interesting paper .•. must not be construed that we are in any sense sponsoring the somewhat revolutionary tech­ nique it describes." and "We remind readers of the warning the writer himself gives, ••. ". Wheatcroft prepared his dissertation very thoroughly with an appropriate introduction, a review of the nervous system and related psychology, the state 65 of the hypnotic art, reported applications in other fields, three rather detailed case reports involving amblyopia and squint, and some cautiously phrased conclusions and recommendations. A long standing error: In the January 1972 issues of this newsletter, Vol. 3, No.1, page 5, I excluded the name of Lional Topaz from our list of memorialized optometrists, classifying him instead among the 11staunch friends and servants of the pro­ fession... I simply thought I knew that he was not an optometrist! I knew this so well that I did not evenlbother to confirm my assumption, a procedure which would have surprised me indeed. Lional Topaz, O.D., is listed in the 1912 and subsequent Blue Books as an optometrist at 421 N. 48th Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, as a 1906 graduate of the Northern Illinois College of Optometry, a member of the Illinois State Society of Optometrists, the Chicago Opt. Club, and the A.O.A. Another optometrist memorialized: The Pennsylvania Optometric Association has established a Milan Milkovich Memorial Fund with contributions being donated to the United Student Aid Fund in Dr. Milkovich's memory. Celebrating 350 years: Almost two years ago, in the January 1976 issue of this newsletter, I mentioned the plans for celebrating the 350th anniversary of the founding of the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers. The program is scheduled for July 14-19, 1979, and should attract optometric visitors from all over the world. Mr. Eric Crundall, Consultant Editor to The Optician {London) and other journals, and a favorite reader of this newsletter, reminds us that th\s event should be of particular interest to OHS members. Detailed information may be obtained from C.J. Eldridge of the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers, Apothecaries Hall, Black Friars Lane, London EC4V 6EL, England. 11 Picking Lincoln's Pockets .. : This is the title of an article by Congressman Paul Findley 1n the May 1977 issue of Civil War Times Illustrated, Vol. 16, No. 2, pages 40-42. O.H.S. member v.tn. R. Baldwin, O.D., Ph.D. called it to my attention. The contents of Lincoln•s pockets on the night of the assassination were retained by the family. Robert Todd Lincoln placed the items in a small blue cardboard box and put it in a safe. When he died in 1926 it was passed on to his oldest daughter Mrs. Mary Lincoln Isham. She in turn presented the box and other Lincoln relics to the Library of Congress with the request that, to prevent sensationalizing the items, no publicity be given to the acquisition. 66 On Lincoln's birthday in 1976, well after the decease of the Lincoln heirs to whom the pledge of silence had been made, the box was opened. Included were two pairs of spectacles, a case for each, and a lens cleaner. One pair, for reading, was gold-rimmed with a temple screw missing. Replacing the screw was a knotted thread. The other pair, with hinged temples and bridge, was folded in'a small silver case. The lens cleaner consisted of two pads of chamois held close to each other by a metal frame to enable the user to clean both surfaces of a lens simultaneously. Readers will recall that this 11 find 11 was mentioned earlier, in the April 1976 issue of this Newsletter, Vol. 7, No. 2, p. 22. Fascinating 11 Fundamentals 11 : Dean Jack W. Bennett, O.D., of Ferris State College, Big Rapids, Michigan, wrote as follows: Among some materials contributed to the Library at the College of Optometry at Ferris State was a copy of a 1919 publication of the Bureau of Optometric Information of The AOA titled 11 Fundamentals of an Ideal Optometric Practice11 • It is some 40 pages long and is loaded with sage advice and words of wisdom - much of it surprisingly applicable today. The one thing that really caught my eye however, was the appearance of two full page ads for sphygmomanometers (blood pressure measuring devices - just in case). The text seems to indicate that 11many11 optometrists were using them, and that all should. I suspect many more would use them today if they were still available at the price indicated. A loan of the booklet confirmed my suspicion that the American Optometric Association must have been influenced by Eugene G. Wiseman, that prolific optometric writer on blood pressure in the early part of this century. At the bottom of page 2 is the notation, 11 Copyright by Eugene G. Wiseman 1919 11 ! But on the front cover is the notation 11 Issued by The Bureau of Optometric Information American Optometric Association 1919 11 • Below the title on the front cover is the added legend: FOR THE PROFESSIONAL OPTOMETRIST COMMERICAL OPTOMETRIST JEWELER OPTOMETRIST 11 BARGAIN 11 OPTOMETRIST The eleven chapters are titled: I. A DEFINITE POLICY NEEDED II. LOCATION WITH REFERENCE TO BUSINESS OR RESIDENTIAL SECTIONS III. LOCATION WITH REFERENCE TO GROUND FLOOR STORES AND UPSTAIRS OFFICES IV. APPEARANCES OF OFFICES V. SCIENTIFIC EQUIPMENT VI. TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS VII. FEES VIII. SOCIAL POSITION 67 IX. PUBLICITY X. ACTIVITIES IN SOCIETIES X I. CONCLUSION Then follow seven full-page advertisements prefaced with an explanation that without them 11 the booklet could not have been printed and distributed at all ..... Helmholtz lectured popularly too: Most of us appreciate the fact that one of the characteristics of scientific material authored by Helmholtz is that it is unusually understandable. His ideas are so well expressed as to have prompted me on occasions to suggest, unsuccessfully, to professors of literature that some of his writings should be included as examples of good scientific literature in literature courses. So, I am not surprised to learn from O.H.S. member E.J. Fisher that there exists a volume entitled POPULAR LECTURES ON SCIENTIFIC SUBJECTS by Hermann von Helmholtz which has been published and republished in the original Genman, and translated into English by Professor E. Atkinson, Ph.D., F.C.S., for publication in at least three successive editions during as many decades. Professor Fisher sent me a xerographic copy of pages 175-276 of the 1893 New Edition, Longmans, Green, and Co., London, which covered "A Course of Lectures delivered in Frankfort and Heidelberg, and Republished in the Preussische Jahrbucher, 1868 11 entitled THE RECENT PROGRESS OF THE THEORY OF VISION. The three parts of the course were titled "I. The Eye as an Optical Instrument," 11 II. The Sensation of Sight 11 , and "III. The Perception of Sight. 11 Following are a few interesting excerpts. (Concerning scientific contributors): 11 Let me be permitted to name out of the whole number a representative of each of the three nations of common origin which have contributed most to the result: Von Graefe in Genmany, Danders in Holland, and Bowman in England. 11 (Concerning the eye): 11 Poets and orators have celebrated its praises; philosophers have extolled it as a crowning instance of perfection 1n an organism; and opticians have tried to imitate it as an unsurpassed model •.• Ne"$t to the loss of life itself that of eyesight is the heaviest ... (Concerning visual sensation): 11 ••• a survey of all the facts •.. puts it beyond doubt that external light is only one of the exciting causes capable of bringing the optic nerve into functional activity •.• (Concerning blackness): 11 But when we examine the colours of external objects, black corresponds just as much to a peculiarity of surface in re­ flection, as does white, and therefore has as good a right to be called a colour." (Concerning perception of images): 11 The first who clearly showed in what points it is impossible for any picture to represent actual objects was the great master of painting, Leonardo da Vinci, who was almost as distinguished in natural philosophy as in art. 11 68 (Concerning em pi ri ci sm): "No fact has yet been discovered inconsistent with the Empi rica 1 Theory •.• " Earliest optometric registry? 1478 Jacob PfUllmair 1483 Andres Mair 1485 Hanns Zainer 1488 Hanns Geman 1489 Michl Pelsner 1489 Hanns Vogl 1492 Hanns Lanndawer 1494 Hans Schmid and Margarethe his legitimate wife 1497 Cuntz Eemann 1498 Hanns Sixt 1498 Bartholmes Schmid 1500 Bonaventura This is a list of spectacle makers (Pariellenmacher) registered as citizens of the city of NOrnberg, Germany, in the 15th century. It is taken from an article by Prof. Dr. Albert~ Pflugk of Dresden in Forschungen zur Geschichte der Optik, (Researches on the history of optics), Vol. 1, December~28-November 1935, published in Berlin by Julius Springer in 1936, pages 203-222. The title of the article is "Die Ordnungen der Nurnberger Brillenmacher" (The Nurnberg spectacle maker regulations). It deals extensively with Nurnberg ordinances adopted from time to time between 1535 and 1685 to regulate the activities, duties, responsibilites, and privileges of spectacle makers • . T~e serial publication itself is of historical interest. !twas published per1od1cally from 1928 to 1943 as a supplement of Zeitschrift fur Instrumenten­ k~nde (journal of instrument science) .. The management of the Carl Zeiss optical f1rm underwrote the costs, and Dr. Mor1tz von Rohr of Jena served as editor. "Island of Tears" This is the name acquired by Ellis Island among some 12 million American immigrants who passed through its doors between 1892 and 1924. The "tears 11 were those of the 240,000 persons who were not allowed to enter the United States and sent back to their countries of origin. 11 Some failed the dreaded eye test •.• " reports William H. Gentz in an article entitled, 11 Where our roots were trans­ planted .. in the August 1977 issue of BOND (Lutheran Brotherhood), Vol. 54, no. 4, pages 9-11. Included also is a National Archives photo showing an officer in dark uniform standing in front of a lady at the head of a line of immigrants and inspecting her left eye. His left hand seems to be everting the lid and his right hand, resting lightly on her cheek bone, may be holding a probe, a swab stick, or a light. What appears to be a bath towel attached to the iron pipe railing may be the only hygienic provision at hand. The author does not describe the nature of the eye tests, but he does point out that Ellis Island, in New York harbor, was reopened last summer for visitors, and that the American Museum of Immigration, U.S. Park Service, on nearby Liberty Island tells the dramatic story. I hope that an O.H.S. member may soon pay a visit to Ellis Island and Liberty Island and ferret out the full eye test story. Who knows? Perhaps an optometrist was on duty. 69 Librarian thinks eyeglasses helped: 11 What single technological aid is most important to libraries? 11 asks Robert Thayer Jordan, a librarian staff member of the Council on Library Resources, Washington, D.C. in a research article published in two install­ ments in the April and May, 1964, issues of Stechert-Hafner Book News, Vol. 18, Nos. 7 & 8, pages 97-100 & 113-117. He suggests that we-wound undoubtedly think first of the printing press, but that after all, there were vast libraries before its invention. Then he continues, 11 There is another ubiquitous technological device that has made possible or practical for most individuals the actual use of the multitude of books and libraries. We accept eyeglasses so casually as an unobtrusive extension of our own body that we are not given to reflec­ tion on the relation between eyeglasses and the printed materials with which we surround ourselves ... His article is titled 11 Books, Libraries, and Eyeglasses, .. and subtitled, 11 The Foremost Technological Aid to Learning ... His truly comprehensive, thoroughly documented, and easy to read dis­ course defends his thesis well and includes a very perceptive discussion of the who-invented-eyeglasses controversy. In his closing paragraphs are two sentences worth quoting: 11 Rosen has made certain corrections in the earliest history of eyeglasses, but the basic general works remain those by Greef, Beck, and Oliver, from forty or more years ago. 11 The best contemporary brief review on the history of eyeglasses appears in Joseph Needham's extraordinary and monumental Science and Civilization in China (despite the fact that eyeglasses were not 1nventedTn China). 11 - O.H.S. member E.J. Fisher kindly sent me a xerographic copy of the article, which I have now placed in the optometry library at Indiana University. CR-39 in 1947: O.H.S. member Irving Bennett, O.D., edi'tor of Optometric Management, helped reinforce my challenge on page 44 of the July newsletter as to the initial producers of plastic lenses made of CR-39. He sent me a copy of a publication I had not seen before, the September 1975 issue of Optical Management, Vol. 4, no. 9, in which is an article by Robert Graham entitled 11 The Armorlite Story, .. pages 23-29. Graham described the original use of CR-39 as a bonding solution in combat airplanes, its initial unavailability for civilians use, and the early problems of molding into ophthalmic lenses. Finally, reported Graham, 11 That year, 1947, the Armorlite Company was incorporated, and CR-39 lenses were in production for the first time! .. 70 110ptical parlor .. : O.H.S. member DR. Reed, O.D., sent us an old eyeglass case given to him by a patient, who purchased it in a flea market and gave it to Dr. Reed for the museum. What we both found of more than ordinary interest was its metallic imprint of 11 HAMMOND OPTICAL PARLORS, 141 State St., Hammond, Indiana ... We both suspect that this use of the word 11 parlor 11 was well before our time, but that there may have been a period when it was not uncommon. More on the headband spectacles: Alan York, O.D., wrote the following comments: In answer to your inquiry in the newsletter [July, page 45] about the origin of the 11 brow-band spectacles .. , the earliest patent that I know of was by Dudley Adams, of London in 1797. It was available in 2 models, monocular or binocular. However its antecedents go much further back into history ••• The 16th Century print by Tobias Stimmer, 11 Die Lebensalter 11 , ••• portrays a woman wearing 11Mutzenbrille 11 [ 11 cap 11 glasses] suspended by a brow device that fitted into the hair or under a cap. A similar device is shown in the French satirical painting, 11 Un trio convaincu 11 , which appears to have been painted around 1750. The 1762 self-portrait by the celebrated Anna Dorothea Therbusch portrays another pair of 11Stirnreifenbrille 11 [forehead hoop glasses] with an additional support that fits into the hair for stability. All of those pictures have been reproduced many times in various historical texts on spectacles. These that (I have mentioned) ••• are ••• reproduced from Emil-Heinz Schmitz 11 Die Sehilfe im Wandel der Jahrhunderte, 11 1961, Stuttgart. Concerning translations of historical articles, members could confer a favor if, when they have an article of historic interest translated, they would deposit a copy of the translation in the library for the possible future use of other researchers. Almost a school in Saskatoon: During the February 23-24, 1944, meeting of the Saskatchewan Optometric Association in Regina (Canada) a motion was passed to create a committee 11to investigate the advisability of instituting a chair of Optometry at the University of Saskatchewan .. (in Saskatoon). Immediately the committee prepared a proposal in two parts. Part I. was presented to the president of the university on June 26, and Part II on November 7, 1977. The two parts were printed and bound together in a single 25x20 em., 62 page book entitled, 11A PAPER Concernnng and Proposing a College of Optometry at The University of Saskatchewan ... I recall this publication as an exciting landmark in my experience, for it appeared during my second year as a career teacher of optometry while we were all still preoccupied with the late stages of World War II. 71 It was the first comprehensive document I had seen which dealt in a practical way with the current issues of optometric education. Well, late in July I received one of the original publications from Jack F. Huber, O.D. of Regina, Saskatchewan, with the request that it be placed where it wi 11 be properly preserved. Both Dr. Huber and I are con­ vinced that it is now a rare book. So naturally I forwarded it to the Inter­ national Library, Archives, and Museum of Optometry for safe-keeping and to make it permanently accessible to bona fide scholars and historians. The contents include the historical background of optometry, a review of 11 Present Day Visual Care .. in which the roles of the optometrist, the medical refractionist, and the optician are described, the ethics and economics in eye care, and the need for better visual care, with statistical documenta­ tion. This is followed by a detailed description of an existing curriculum at another institution, a listing of schools in Canada and the U.S.A. with tuition costs, admission requirements, degrees offered, etc. A prospectus of a possible program for the University of Saskatchewan is outlined, to­ gether with a list of presumedly available faculty personnel. Finally follow two rather extensive discussions, one entitled 11 Professional Optometry11 and the other 11 0ptometry•s Future 11 by Charles Sheard. Additional editorial sections on the scope of optometry, educational equipment needs, methods of financing the program, legal and inter-provincial considerations, and availability of clinical patients are included as committee contributions. Truly, this document gives us a very reliable analysis of the status of optometry and optometric education about 35 years ago. The school was never established, but that is another story. FBOA, FSMC, and FSAO to become obsolete? These familiar abbreviations or affixes for Fellow of the British Optical Association, Fellow of the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers, and Fellow of the Scottish Association of Opticians should soon be replaced by a single affix, Fellow of the College of Ophthalmic Opticians, presumably to be abbreviated F.C.O.O. Until the formation of the new College of Ophthalmic Opticians, scheduled to go into full effect on January 1, 1978, each of the three existing organizations directed its own qualifying examinations for the practice of optometry and opticianry. The B.O.A., incorporated in 1895 11 to further the science of optics and for the protection of the profession .. , gave notice on 17 June 1977 to its members of an EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING on 13 July 1977 to discuss proposals for the founding of the College of Ophthalmic Opticians. In 1956 the National Association of Opticians merged into the B.O.A., and in 1962 the Institute of Optical Science did the same. The present move is to phase out the B.O.A. in deference to the new body or 11 College 11 to take over the roles of three organizations as a single, learned qualifying body. It is expected that the continuing Association of Optical Practitioners will publish a successor journal to The Ophthalmic Optician, and that the C.O.O. will publish a successor journal to ine British Journal of Physiological Optics, both of which have been publications-aT the B.O.A. -- 72 It is also anticipated that provisions will be made within the organizational structure of the C.O.O. for serving the dispensing opticians in terms comparable to those to be provided for ophthalmic opticians. All of the above notes are derived from the aforementioned June 17, 1977, notice to B.O.A. members, a copy of which is now in the International Library, Archives, and Museum of Optometry, Inc. It may be presumed that members of the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers and of the Scottish Association of Opticians have received, or will receive, comparable notices of merger intent. Helen Claire, optometrist's daughter: Those of us who frequented the legitimate theatre in the 1930's and '40's are likely to recall Miss Helen Claire, especially if we attended "Kiss The Boys Good-Bye" at the Henry Miller Theatre on Broadway, in which she played her first lead. Her first stage appearance was the Civic Repertory Theatre in 1929 as the Second Twin in "Peter Pan". In the late '40's she performed as a commentator in Fox Movietime News and as a popular radio artist. Her biographical account in John Parker's 1952 edition of Who's Who in the Theatre covered considerably more than a half page. In it her