NlllSLETI'ER OF THE ~RIC HISTORICAL SOCIE'IY NOVt~ 1~41orth Lindbefgh Boulevard, St. Louis, Missouri 63141, u.s.A.) October 1984 Nunber 4 December's OHS Meeting: OHS President Janes Leeds called to infonn all readers that at this years gathering of the Optometric Historical Society at the American Academy of Optanetry meeting there will be a guest lecturer. Christopher Hcx:>lihan, Rare Book Librarian at the Library of the Hashington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, will give a slide presentation on the Bernard Becker M.D. Collection in Ophthalrrology. This will take place on Saturday December 8 at approximately 5:30. After your arrival please check the schedule for the exact time and *******************••;·····~ : Indiana University : . .. • • : NOV20iqP,4 : • • venue. ~ 1922-1952 ~study: OHS President Leeds paid what he believes is a tax deductii?le dollar for a sanewhat yellowed envelon:, and its ~s v.hich;had . ~r~****************~~~••*i*~~~ been ma1led 34 years ago by an optanetr1st to a nat:urO.I::ICiUl udl11eU A. Kaplin, N.D., 2038 College St., JaCksonville, Florida. It was hazily postmarked Apr. 13, 1950, Colwnbus, Ohio, with the added advice BUILD YOUR FUI'URE HISELY SAFELY U.S. SAVINGS IDNDS. On the enclosed letterhead of the same date the writer was identified as "Dr. Wilton Ho.vard Wilson, O.D. ,--eyes, 36 \lest Gay Street--Suite. 310, 311, Phone, MAIN 6221, Columbus 15, Ohio," plus his residence address at 14 Fast Lakeview Avenue and another telepoone nurrber, and further designation as "Consulting Reflexologist to the Profession." He told Dr. Kaplan, arrong other things, that, "As a Naturopath you are well qualified to specialize in eye work: and the public will welcane you into this new field: and it means enhanced prestige and increased incane." He further infonned Dr. Kaplan that the fee was $200.00 and that the course required "three days attendance in this office." Accarpanying the typewritten and personally signed letter was a mimeographed sheet captioned "OCULO-REFLEXOIJJGY, The Hilson Concept." The first paragraph declared, "Several investigations conducted in recent years, and published in media with a national coverage, have revealed that the public is getting 'too little eye service' and that what little it is getting is not effective quality." Next were described the "c0l1!1Dn neuro-muscular disorders" AMBLYOPIA, ESOPHORIA, and EXOPHORIA, and their diagncsis. Under the head1r19 TRFA'IMENT, "The ocular reflexes are evoked by concussion or vibration applied to specific nerve centers in the spine, reinforcing the reflexes with the aid of adjustment and colored light rays." The RESroNSE is quite marvelously described as, "Hatching the visual chart, the Amblyope sees his vision improve before his eyes: watching the neuro-muscular chart, he sees either tension or exhaustion reduced or abolished in a few seconds or minutes" 70 .· ~· ' ~ . Fees, numbers of treatments, and course costs are stated, and finally, "EOUIPMENT costs bet....veen $25.00 and $50.00. This incltrles, ... charts and testiiY;J instruments. The practitioner may use his own ·'. / vibrator, electric apparatus, or chrane generator." Because I lived in Columbus, Ohio, within a half-hours J!1~1U¥fMU AJ11UUi' of Dr. Wilson's addresses fran Septerti:ler, 1936, through Decenber, 1948, and was very actively involved in local optanetric affairs throughout those years I should be able to recall sarething about Dr. Wilson or his offerings. I recall no detail Whatsoever 1 This can hardly be a Freudian lapse of mem:>ry, for I ....vell remenber other rankling deviances of that era Which were embraced, or at least viewed naively, usually briefly, by one or another q;>tanetrist in the area. AttanptiiY;J to trigger my rrercory I searched the biennially published :a1-ue. Book ,Qf, 9,>tatetrist.taretrists was not enacted until 1919, nor in any after 1952. In the 1928, 1936, and 1938 Blue Book entries he variously identified his qualifications as a 1911 graduate of the Northern Illinois College of Optanetry, with an o.D. and a "Ph.G." degree, supplenentary instruction in "Oculo­ Reflexology" and Physiotheraw, Secretary of the "Ohio league for the Conservation of Vision," "MenDer of Council on cptanetry, Chio Federation of Allied Scientists," and Director and Chief of Staff of the "~lilsonian Institute." Quotation marks identify tenns completely unfamiliar to me. This is the full extent of the infonnation I was able to glean with respect to Dr. leed' s fascinating one dollar purdlase, Which will be forwarded to the ILAMJ archives. Ibes it have historical value? Perhaps it does. How else can the otherwise uninfonned observer of this siiY;Jle piece of old undestroyed mail gain at least sane grasp of a part of the intellectual and professional climate Which prevailed earlier in this century. Are thiiY;Js really different in today' s highly technological milieu, or simply couched in newly concocted terminology? H. W H. 71 On framir¥J and preserving: The foll0Hir¥J is the JlUle 1984 install.mant of a series of articles on preservation hints 'flihich appeared in the Indiana Historical Society NewSletter 1 No. 671 written by conservators Christine Young and Rarrona Dlmcan: Framing of a cherished or interest­ ing item for display is often con­ sidered desirable, but the framer should be aware of the risks to the item that are involved in the process. When an object Is enclosed In a frame, an intimate micro-envi­ ronment is created where acids and other impurities that are trapped in­ side may accelerate the aging of the object Framing may also cause the buildup of humidity within the micro­ environment, consequent con­ densation on the ~lass. and possible damage to the framed object Care­ ful choice of the materials and meth­ ods used for framing will reduce these risks. First of all, one should select a frame which is larger than the object so that the edges of the item to be framed do not come in contact with the frame (wooden frames are espe­ cially acidic). Only non-acidic papers and matboards should be used. Ragboard is ~ecommended for all papers, textiles, and photographs. The less expensive buffered mat­ board (sometimes called con­ servation board) may be used for paper artifacts of lesser value, but it is always inappropriate for textiles and photographs. Common matboard and nearly all types of cardboard will cause damage and should never be used in a frame. Because the object is smaller than the frame, it must be made to "ftoat" within the frame. This is done by at­ taching it to a back mal Rigid Items may be held with "photo comers" made from good quality paper. Other lte~ should be hinged or hung from the top by strips of Japanese paper. Starch paste or methyl cellulose paste should be used as the adhesive. Objects should never be taped into position, and they should never be firmly attached at all four sides. To avoid problems from humidity, such as mold, it is important to create an airspace between the object and the glazing in the frame. This is espe­ cially important for photographs, which become sticky and adhesive when moist The airspace is com­ monly made by the use of a window mal It can also be done by the de­ sign or modification of the frame itself. Glazing provides considerable pro­ tection for the framed object Glass is used most commonly. Non-glare glass should be avoided because it is designed for use in direct contact with the object and causes fuzziness when proper spacers are used. Ughter weight acrylic glazing may be preferred for large items. Because of the static charge that it produces, however, this plastic should not be used for pastel or charcoal drawings. Some plastics are available with 81- ters for ultraviolet light, and these are recommended for textiles, water­ colors, etc. Anally, it must be clearly under­ stood that framing and display pre­ clude preservation. Display subjects the object to long periods of ex­ posure to damaging light; hanging the object in direct sunlight or using "spotlighting" techniques compound the hazard. If the longevity of an ob­ ject is more important than the show­ Ing of It, then storage, not display, Is the proper path to choose. On the next page are selected excerpts fran previous installments of the series. The environmental conditions that promote preservation are cool tem­ peratures (70°F is maximum), low relative humidity (40-50%), and minimal exposure to light. It is also Important to remember that keeping the levels of temperature and hu­ midity stable is as critical a consider­ ation as kee~them low: • Everything that is in contact with or adjacent to the artifact constitutes its environment. Materials of du­ bious quality should be eliminated. These include groundwood papers, metal items, self-adhering tapes and labels, rubber bands, and most plas­ tics. Paper items should be housed in acid-free containers. Folders and boxes appropriate for storage are available in a variety of Iiles and for­ mats; Tiw best approach for the preser­ vation of photographs is good stor­ age. Place the photographs in sleeves or envelopes of high quality plastic (polyester, biacetate, or poly­ propylene) or of specially formulated neutral paper. Avoid adhesives of any type. Nearly all commercial photo albums use impure papers, plastics, and adhesives - they can. not be recommended for the preser­ vation of photographs. Shield photographs from light as much as possible. Keep them in a cool and especially dry place. Avoid the temptation to clean photographs. Even plain water can destroy certain photographic emul­ sions and consequently ruin the im- ages. · ·· Protection for flat paper artifacts which are delicate may be safely ac­ complished by providing them with support. Encapsulation is an archival term which describes a process that supplies an overall support for the original as a temporary archival mea­ sure, keeping very delicate papers from further loss through mishan­ dling. Overall support entails enclos­ ing the original between two clear flat sheets, which are sealed to produce, in effect, an envelope. 72 Materials required for encapsula­ tion are those which are free from acid or are inert chemically. A clear polyester film called Mylar is the only material available that is recom­ mended as safe for use in encapsula­ tion. · Until about 1840, Western papers were made almost exclusively of re­ cycled rags; today the term "rag pa­ per'' refers to the use of new fibers of cotton or linen. Because of their relative purity, rag papers have the greatest potential for longevity. Pulp papers are made of fibers which have been ch.emicalJy derived from wood. These papers consist of poor­ er quality cellulose and may also re­ tain chemical residues from pulping and bleaching processes. While po­ tential longevity varies with the spe­ cific pulping process used, it is fair to say that the pulp papers as a group will not last as long as rag papers. Lignified papers are made of me­ chanically derived pulp. Often re­ ferred to as "ground-wood" papers, they contain all the organic acids, resins, and impurities found in wood. It Is currently Impossible to preserve these papers. Newsprint and cardboards are common exam­ ples of ground-wood papers. Papers can also be made of such diverse materials as straw and polyester. A variety of materials can be add­ ed to paper to alter Its characteris­ tics. These may be fillers to increase density and stiffness or adhesives to make the surface non -absorbent; coated papers, used for book Ulus­ trations, are given a thin veneer of clay. Additives to paper alter its po­ tential life span as well as its physical characteristics; many cause active deterioration of the paper fibers. The addition of alkaline agents to pulp papers improves their longevity dra­ matically. Alkaline papers may be la­ belled acid-free, buffered, or archi­ val. A wide variety of storage and displa_y_materials Is_ now available in this type of paper; the use of these Items is highly recommended for the preservation of paper artifacts. 73 ~ few biographical miscellanea: A brief note fran OHS Prexy Jim Leeds tells us that he himself recalls the two incompletely identified teachers at the Northern Illinois College of Optanetry m:mtioned in V. F. Krin:J 1 s classroan notes in our last issue. Jdmsen, whose name was misspelled Jdmson in Krin:J 1 s notes and therefore also in our previous issue, was the senior author of a 158 page rranual entitled, "<:ptical Shop and Counter" by Alf Henry Johnsen, Bertram A. Heeks, and Frederick H. Heller, published in 1934 by 'Ihe Professional Press, lliiccgo. It seems probable that Johnsen was an optician, born in 1899 accordin:J to the book 1 s library catalog card, and may therefore still be livin:J. Weeks is listed as a Chicago optanetrist in the 1934 Blue BoOk of Optometrists. Heller rerrains unknovm. Also unknovm is the significance of the 'WOrd "Counter" in the book 1 s title. "Keef," suggests Dr. Leeds, was Frank M. Keefe, O.D., who practiced in Oliccgo. "He taught us anatany. He was a big, florid, gregarious fellow, and a gcxxi teacher. He quit teachin:J before I graduated in 1940." Leeds is surely correct, for Dr. Keefe is listed as a lliiccgo cptanetrist in the 1936 Blue Book of Optametrists. The 1950 Blue Book shows him in Antioch, Illinois, with the degrees M.A., Ph.D., D.A., and D.o.s., a graduate of Sacred Heart College, 1912: Niagara University, 1914-16: Catholic University, 1917: and Northern Illioois College of <:ptaretry, 1934, post-graduate study at National College of Audianetry, 1947, a rranber of the Arrerican <:ptaretric Association, and fonrerly Professor at N.r.c.o. Anecdotal characterization of the farrous: In 1958 the R. Piper & Co. Verlag of Munich, \lest Gennany, published a charmin:J little book by Eduard Stemplinger enti tied "Von Berlihmten Arzten" (About Farrous Physicians), 187 anecdotes col­ lected fran merroirs and letters. Included were the narres of three who are are well identified with visual science, MUller, Helrrholtz, and von Graefe. The following are their related anecdotes, translated. Johannes Peter MUller 1801-1858: He had the remarkable ability to set aside all annoyances whenever he was intensely preoccupied with a nore pressing rratter. So disciplined it \'laS that it excluded even details of his awn merrory. Thus is ha~ned that in a s\..l!T'IIrer semester when a sttrlent requested a clarification of a difficult p:>int in ht.nnan anatany Muller resp:>nded with, "I know that only in the winter semester." 74 Johannes Muller started one lecture with the words, "Sirs! Whence came we? What are we? \~t will becane of us? You will have to seek the answers to the first and third questions from our colleagues of the theological faculty. During the present hours we will concern ourselves with the second question, that of human physiology." Hennann Ludwig Ferdinand Helrmoltz 1821-1894: On one occasion Helrmoltz was introduced to the Grand D..lke of Weimar. In such audiences his highness would be prarpted by his court martial with an appropriate key word or phrase to enable him to start a casual conversation. In this instance the court martial Whispered the word "Augenspiegel" (opht.halnoscope) to the prince to cue him to the learned guest's rrost i.mp.:>rtant invention. The grand duke misunderstood, hesitated a rronent, and then laughin:Jly grabbed the professor by the shoulder and said, "Ah, sieh da, Eulenspiegel!" (Oh, you rascal you!) Concerning his experience with spontaneous in:~enioos ideas he said, "They often creep softly into one's realm of thooght wi tlnut their significance i.rrrrediately bein:J recognized. In my ovm experience they never came to me during mental fatigue or While at my desk. Frequently they occurred upon awakening in the norning, as Gauss too once remarked. But nore likely they errerged durin:~ pleasant hikes throogh wooda:i hills in sunny weather. The smallest drop of alcoholic beverage, l"lcMever, tends to suppress them." "In reference to the ophthalnoscope," related Hel.nholtz, "a very farcous colleague and surgeon once told me he would never use the instrument, that it was too risky to let the glarin:J light enter diseased eyes. Another one explained that the cphthalrroscope might be useful for a physician with poor eyes but that he himself had very gd eyes and did oot require it." Madam Martius said of Helrmoltz, "The genial scholar was the p::x:>rest imagineable teacher. I have witnessed an occasion in Which at the beginning of the hour he took a readin:J off of a carplicated apparatus Which he neglected to explain and immediately began to do calculations on the blackboard until it was carpletely covered with the rrost involved formulae. He finally announced, 'You see, sirs, that the result well agrees with the h}'lX)thesis,: and departed from the lecture roan. Alrrost none of the :mercbers of the audience had any notion of What it was all abcut." 75 Albrecht von Grafe 1828-1870: At a palace ball in Berlin an aristocratic lady asked her dancing partner Grafe, "My dear von Grafe! We hear in the highest circles aba.lt your fabulrus operations. Is it true that you simply take out the eyeball, neatly cleanse it, and put it back in place again?" Dr. von Grafe resp.:>nded m:JSt amiably, "Indeed, my dear. The procedure is utterly sirrple. And if the old eye is badly YJOrn out I replace it with a young rabbit eye." H. \l H. Fdmund Fuller Richardson, O.D., 1899-1984: The passing of Ed Richardson on July 15 has reminded rrany of us that he was a colorful and dedicated optanetric leader. Of special archival interest is the fact that during his extensive travels and lecture tours for the American Optanetric Association, the Optaretric Extension Program, and other missions he indulged in the unusual hobby of capturing on color slides both posed and unposed photographs of praninent cptaretrically-related perscns with their spouses. He shCMea these on occasion at receptions in his heme, truly fascinating entertainment, for rrost of us had little if any aCXIuaintance with the spouses of leaders whan w~ otherwise knew well. If these can be found and preserved they would serve as a better rrerrento of the man and his missions than even a p.:>rtrait in the gallery or a statue in the park. In honor of Dr. Richardson the Optanetric Extension Program Foundation had established the Frlmund F. Richardson Educational Menorial Fund. ~re 9!!, captain KnCMles: Adding another clue to the identity of captain Chester lr is identifierl as Dr. Ludwig M3.tthiessen, Ord. Professor der Physik an der Universitat zu Restock. '!he publisher is B.G. TeUbner, Leipzig, 1877. Especially notev.orthy is the bookbindin.:J elegance. The 276+ viii gilt-Erlged pages are bound in hard, red cloth, cover with debosserl gilt-linerl lettering and geometric designs, hubbin.;J on the spine, and silk-linerl inside cover pages, perhaps the IOOSt elegantly assariblerl book in the field of visual optics. It rreasures 16.5 x 24.5 x 2.0 em in size and contains 73 line-drawn figures and hundred of mathana.tical formulas. The book 1 s edges and comers show considerable frictim bruise, as if from repeaterl shelf-stackin.;J, but virtually no direct signs of reader use. The library 1 s pasterl-in meek-out slip shows only the current due date of Oct. 5, 1984, suggestin.;J that I may have been its only borrower. An ink stamp notation identifies the book as a February 9, 1955 gift. Surprisin.;Jly the book has no index, but it does have a very detailed table of contents of its 69 chapters with very descriptive titles. Approx.irrately the first half of the book deals with the refraction of light in centererl systems of successive spherical surfaces. '!he other half deals entirely with the refraction of light in nonnal human, and sane aniroa.l eyes, subti tlerl "~hthalnoretrie." '!he text is very toorough in its treatmant of all aspects of geometric and visual optics, and in relatively easy to read Gernan. '!he optics of the ocular media, their curvatures and indices of refraction, are treated rrost exhaustively with thorough recognition and acknowledgerrent of prior research. The optics of the crystalline lens are in greater detail than any other that I have seen. '!he references are uniquely listed as research chronologies in three categories as follows: I: M3.thematical dicptrics, from Smith, 1738, to RSthig, 1876. II. Refractive indices of the ocular media, from Fr. P. du Petit, 1726, to AUbert, 1876. III. Ophthalm::metrie, from Fr. P. du Petit, 1723, to M3.tthiessen, 1876. 77 The optical figures and formulae resemble most of the notation conventions of Professor James P.C. Scuthall's "lenses, Mirrors, am Prisms," but Southall did not mention or make reference to Matthiessen in either that book or in his "Physiological Optics" book. My ONn prior unawareness of any of Matthiessen • s publications, or even his name, and the fact that the name was cited so inadequately if not haphazardly by Sheard, though rather extensively by Helrrholtz, makes one 'WOmer why Matthiessen seems to have been so ignored. was his book too expensive or of limited circulation? \las his writiiXJ too rrathematical to be urrlerstood by medically trained authors? Might the political circLUTIStances of the "Iron Chancellor" years of Gerrrany disrupted international scientific communication? In my opinion, his writings deserved much greater recognition than we have given than. H. \1 H. Early optcmetric education in Missouri: History of optcnetric education in the state of Missouri is dealt with by Pamela K. \larbinton, O.D., in the Second Quarter, 1980, issue of the Journal of the Missouri cptcmetric Association, pages 21-22, under the title of "A Forgotten Optcmetry Sdn:>l." Though nentioning the fact that at least four optanetry schools in Kansas City, Missouri, preceded the present school in St. louis, Missouri, she devoted the article almost totally to the Needles Institute of Optanetry and the Kansas City Sc'OOol of Optcmetry, both owned by W.B. Needles, o.D. She derived much of her infonnation fran personal correspondence with Dr. Needle's son Richard A. Nee:Ues, O.D., and his nephew James H. Grout, O.D. An issue for history: History of South African optanetry is virtually the toW there of the March/May 1984 issue of 'Ihe Scuth African Optaretrist/Die Suid-Afrikaanse Oogkundige, Vol. 43, No. 1, in recognition of 60 years since the fonnation of the Transvaal Optanetric Association on March 31, 1924, which only t'WO months later dlanged its name to the South African Optical Association and eventually to the South African Optcmetric Association. 78 The feature article is 11 South African Optanetry--\rth, the University of Durban-\lestville, and Rand Afrikaans University, with expectaticns of a nelf/ program at the University of the Witwatersrand in the near future. Under the caption of 11A Photographic Record of 60 Years of Service .. are 12 pages of group pb:>tographs taken at conferences datin:J back to 1936. Next on pages 51-63 is a reprinted article by Deryck Hurtphriss \\bich appeared originally in 1975 with the title 11The Travelling Sight Jesters... The editor, David Reynolds, filled six pages with tidbits fran the archives of the association and solicited re:niniscences fran pioneer optanetrists B.E.C. Springer, P.E. Willemse (in Afrikaans), K.O. Elgie, F. Graham Marrian, and Mrs. G.G. Banks. Altogether this assarblage of rep:>rts, stories, and pictures provides an interesting panoramic view of optanetry's history in one coontry. The only conspicuously missing element was the lack of reference to the crucial 1931 court case of REX versus J.L. Saks reviewed on pages 49-54 of the July 1980 issue of N.O.H.S., Vol. 11, No. 3. Can this be the only issue of any optanetric journal featurin:J history as its there, excluding of course each issue of N.O.H.S.? M:>re about William Mackenzie, (1791-1868): A book \\bich I requested on interlibrary loan so long ago I forgot what pranpted my curiosity is THE LIFE AND TIMES OF DR. WILLIAM MACKENZIE, Founder of the Glasgow Eye Infinnary, by A.M. Wright Thanson, Glasgcw, 1973. It consists of only 132 pages, enabling me to read it in a.lnost a sin:Jle setting. The aut.ror, a Consultant Ophthal.m::>logist at the Glasgow Eye Infinnary and at several other hospitals, in effect had written ItDre than a very personalized biography of a man. It is a candid acCOUI\t of cphthal.m::>logy itself in tenns of the milieu within which Mackenzie acquired his knowledge and to which he devoted his career-long efforts to provide scientific organization. The first chapter is entitled 11 Prelude: The Eighteenth-century Quacks, 11 an unabashed account of reccmrended treatrrent of ocular conditions, 79 including those provided by two persons successively appointed as oculists to Queen Anne, one a tailor and the other a tinker. 'llle prelude is intended to illustrate the prevailing status of ophthal­ rrological dogma \\hen Mackenzie arrived on the scene. The follONing passage fran the last page of the book expresses the author• s theme and accanplishrrent well. 11This then is the story of a wee GlasgON man who accepted the challenge of his day. When he was born, the art of healing was just beginning to throw off the shackles of mediaeval mysticism and false ideas. The time was ripe for intelligent man to bring scientific knowledge to bear on the subject. Slowly thoughts were added to theories and the ne,r scientific age of medicine was born and grew. 'lllis knowledge, J:'lc:Mever, had to be Inr3.de to everybody and it was here that William Mackenzie Inr3.de his name ... Is this a part of cptaretric history? Surely not. < anyone who is even reasonably aware of optanetry• s long heritage and who pres1.11res that it shares canrron historical roots with that of cphthal­ rrology really should read this book. It is an eye opener. Incidentally, a brief review of Mackenzie • s 1833 book is on pages 15-17 of the January 1980 issue of N.O.H.S., Vol. 11, No. 1. H. W H. George Nissel, 1913-1982: The professional life of George Nissel is the theme of the first George Nissel Menorial Lecture by Professor M::>ntague Ruben, FRCS, published in the April 1984 issue of the Journal of the British Contact lens Association, Vol. 7, No. 2, pp. 98, 100, and 102. Nissel 1s described as an engineer who became interested in contact lenses when he watched his brother-in-law Joseph Dallos make glass scleral lenses in 1933. Much of the phenarenal developrent of the total contact lens and ocular prosthetics industry durin;J Nissel 1 s career is attributed to Nissel• s role as a 11master lens maker.. of great repute. Renaissance optics: \Jhile visitin;J at Eliot College, University of Kent, canterb.lry, England, OHS merriber David Cline, O.D., senior co-editor of the Dicticnary of Visual Science, wrote us a brief letter in which he qooted a few lines fran Italo Cal vino • s book, .. If on a winter • s night a traveler, 11 as follows: 80 (page 162) "Myairn is to reconstruct the museum assanblErl by the Jesuit Athanas ius Kircher, autror of Ars Magna Lucis et l.Jnt>rae ( 1646) and inventory of the • p:>lydypt1c theater 1 , in Which about sixty little mirrors linir¥J the inside of a large box transfonn a bough into a forest, a lead soldier into an anny, a booklet into a library." (page 165) "The Arab geographers of the Middle Ages, in their descriptions of the harbor of Alexandria, recall the column that stood on the Island of Pharos, surnountErl by a steel mirror in Which, fran an .i.mroonse distance, the ships prcx::eedir¥3 off Cyprus am Constantinople and all the lands of the Ranans can be seen. 11 Calvina is an Italian novelist who began his literary career inmediately after \lorld \Jar II. The above qootErl novel appeared originally in Italian in 1979, arrl in Erglish, translated by William Weaver, in 1981. 'Ihe citations are fran the eight pages captioned 11 In a network of lines that intersect, .. in Which Calvina less than adroitly suggests numerous kaleidoscopic applications of mirrors for bizarre purposes, Which Dr. Cline quite aptly describErl as 11 tor¥Jue-in-cheek." In the same eight pages Calvina sprinkles rrany other optical v.ords such as spyglass, nearsightErl, reflectErl images, catoptric, lurninosi ty, illusory perspectives, radiation, and even a casual reference to Sir David Brewster, all in literary rather than technical contexts. He states parenthetically "I am at once a man who thinks and a rosiness rran, and a collector of optical instruments as well," and that he has been collectir¥3 kaleidoscopes since adolescence. In sending us these citations fran the novel Dr. Cline was not certain that Calvina• s references to Kircher (1602-1680) and the Arab geographers are truly authentic, as he had no easy access to an ad9:1uate library. Indeed, at least one copy of Kircher•s 1646 publication of al.m:>st a thousand pages is in the Vatican collection and another is in the Lilly Library in Bloanington, Indiana. The full title translated is, "The Great Art of Light and Shadcw, dividErl into ten books, in which the admirable powers and effects of light and shade are propounded in new and varied experirrents and in recondite ways, for the diverse uses of mankind." It appears that its greatest value was not that it offered new kncwledge but rather that it served as the encyclopedia of the optical infonnation of t::hclt era. 81 Further, the Kircher ian Museum did exist during nost of Kircher's lifetiroo. Parts of the fanous collection continue to be accessible in various places, as described by P. Conor Reilly s.J. in Olapter XII, pages 145-155, of Studia Kircheriana, Band I: Athanasius Kircher, S.J., Edizioni del r-bndo, Uiesbaden-Ran, 1974. '!he museum included Kircher's magic lantern, beautifully illustraterl on page 768 of his "Ars Magna Lucis • • . " and reproducerl on page 83 of Joscelyn Godwin's "Athanasius Kircher: A Renaissance Man and the Quest for I.Dst KnCJ.\7lerlge," Thames and Hudson, Ltd., London 1979. Novelist Cal vino' s mention of the Arab geoJraphers of the Middle Ages does not identify his source, but it could well have been derived fran Kircher, who "wrote about everything under the sun." Calvina, an Italian, would of course have easy access to Kircher's Latin texts in Rate. calvino' s expression "polydyptic theatre" may have been in quotation marks because the translator could oot find a sui table English equivalent. Etynologically, "poly" means many; "dyptic," according to the Oxford Erglish dictionary, is an absolute form of "dyptych" meaning hingerl or folderl or even double folderl; and "theatre" refers to a viewing chanber. All of this suggests a multimirrorerl kaleidosccpe, which fits calvino's description of what it does. Hale starts history series: The first two installm:mts of Dr. J.R. Hale's History of Hashington Optaretry appearerl in the March/April and May/June, 1984, issues of Washiilgton Optanetry Today, both page 2 of the respective issues, nos. 2 and 3, the fanner identifierl with vol. 2 and the latter with vol. 3. ndence, talking with colleagues, my own knowlerlge of optanetric history, and optanetric family references. For exai"rple, he recalls "a conversation with my grandfather, Dr. c.w. Young, who told how the medical profession's representatives offererl M.D. degrees to doctors of optaretry, if they would agree to accept and assist to end the profession in this state. The old timers had the fortitude to tell this particular group to 'buzz off'." 82 He rep:>rts the organizirg of the \lashirgton Optanetric Association at the Masoo.ic Hall in Seattle in Deceni:>er 7, 1899. In 1903 the association attanptoo tmsuccessfully to get a registration act through the legislature, rut was successful in 1909. In 1919 there were nine female optanetrists in the city of Sp:>kane. He reminds us, too, that the late Henry Schumacher was Mayor of Vancouver. H. W H. Opt.aretry scbx>l jti>ilee: Die Staatliche Fachschule fiir Optik und Fototeclmik Berlin, ('lbe Berlin, West Gennany, State Institute for Optics and Photo­ technology), celebrates its 75th anniversary on October S-6, 1984, with a jubilee publication of scientific papers by members of the faculty. 'lbe school originatoo in Mainz and was transferroo to Berlin in 1912. · ~ 160 year nostrum: "Dr. Isaac Thanpson 1 s Celebratoo Eye \later, 11 mentionoo on page 48 of the July 1982 issue of N.O.H.S., Vol. 13, No. 3, has been historically researchoo and written up in the May 1984 issue of Ophthal.rrology, Vol. 91, No. 5, pp. 528-537, by Andrew P. Ferry, MD, and Mercaies K. Ferry, BA. 'lbe p:>pular collyrhrn was introducai in 1795 and rena.inoo ccntinuously available on the open market until 1955, the largest sale of any topical ophthalmic preparation in the 19th century. With the enactirent of the Pure Focrl and Drugs Act of Jtme 30, 1906, its label for the first time disclosoo its ingredients as follows, "Active irgredients opium 1 1/2 grains: alcorol 10%: zinc sulphate: rose water. 11 Illustratoo in the article are four approxinately 94 x 65 mm chraroli thograph advertisirg trade cards representirg it as 11 a speooy and efficacious ranedy in all camon canplaints of the Eye. 11 'lbe autlx::>rs discuss the advertisirg methods, certain aspects of packagin:J and bottlirg, the fooeral revenue stamp taxation method, and the secretive nature of the m:mufacturers with regard to roodicinal content. '!heir trorough search indicatoo that ThanpJ30n 1 s "Dr. 11 title was self-best.c:JNed. Requests for reprints should be sent to Andrew P. Ferry, M.D., Department of ~thal.rrology, Medical College of Virginia, u.s.A. 23298. 83 Bring along your old glasses: OptiFair '85, New York, March 3-6, will again have a program on antique eyewear. Presenting it this time will be Jdm M. Young, Senior Research Engineer of the American Optical Corporation, who serves the non-profit American Optical M..lseum as its director and curator. The course will feature at least 240 slides illustrating such items of historical interest as advertising, autarobile go:Jgles, the first temples, prince-nez, oxfords, safety eyewear, bifocals, style, and sunglasses. A part of the saninar will be devoted to dating and awraising eye.Near brought in by attendees. The archivist's lament: The follcwing is the reply fran the daughter of a recently deceased optometrist of national praninance: "I only wish I'd kno.rm about Il.AM) several years ago when we broke up Mother an.d. Dad's possessions, there '~~>Jere so many fine pictures, but I'm afraid they are gone. Dad was too ill at the time to call, and just said 'get rid of it all'--so we didl A \laterloo worth meetin;J: On a recent stay at a hotel in Kithener, Ontario, Canada recently it was a delight to leaf through the Surrrer '84 issue of a tourist prarotional serial entitled \laterloo R~ion Magazine, Vol. 6, No. 3, and find on page 41 a paragraph and a p1cture calling attention to the "Museum of Visual Science and Optometry" as a University of waterloo attraction. The curator is none other than OHS rnerrber and Professor Emeritus Edward J. Fisher, O.D. H. H H. Australian founding father ronored: A portrait of the late Ernest Jaba.ra was unveiled by the Chancellor of the University of Melbourne at the 4200. Annual ~ting of the Victorian College of Optanetry in DecE!TU::>er, 1983. Jaba.ra was the first Chairnan of the College CotmCil and praninant arrong those who brought about the establishment of the College on December 29, 1939. The rortrait is a gift of Mrs. Jabara and is displayed in the College building. 84 The Victorian Colle:Je of Optanetry is a professional society affiliated to the University of Meloourne arrl is resronsible for a number of professional, clinical, and researdh aspects cample­ Irentary to the acadanic Depart.roont of Optaretry at the tmviversity. Muth discontinues spectacle collectif9: OHS JlBT'ber Eric P. Muth, Ph.D., whose spectacle collectirg interests have been mentioned in the O:::tober 1982 and O:::tober 1983 issues of the N.O.H.S., Vol. 13, No. 4, p. 84, and Vol. 14, No. 4, p. 94, recently announced the donation of his entire spectacle collection to the Smithsonian Institution in washington, D.C., arrl the new American Academy of Ophthalnolc:x;ry Fotmdation Museum in San Francisco. The former received 550 items, the latter 100. The details of the donation are written up in the January 24, 1984 issue of the New Haven Register (Connecticut). To have his collection appraised for tax deductions purposes he obtained the services of Alain Brieux of Paris. Brieux set the value at $120,000. Lubinaria Andrew F. Fischer, O.D., has sent the II..AM:> ardhives tear­ sheets fran the Jtme 1, 1984, PhilaJ.elphia Irquirer, pages 2-D, 8-D, and 42, in Which are written up rrany deta1ls of the exhibition at the National Museum of American Jewish History canrrenoratirg the role of optaretrists Siegmtmd Lubin, nee Lubszynski, in the creation of the rrotion picture industry. Also supplied by Andy is a six-page 29 x 22 an brodhure enti tied PEDDLER OF DREAMS depictirg Lubin's career and entrepreneural involvements. Mention is made of Lubin's death in 1923 but not of his year of birth. He is described as having arrived in America from Berlin in 1876 with a training backgrotmd "as an oculist and optician," building the largest empire in the film irrlustry, and in the disastrous final years of his life finding himself once again ''behind the counter of his optical shop where the whole amazing dream had be:Jtm. " 85 Bits of Heather: Dr. Fischer reports ownership of an autogral*led copy of Dr. \l.J. Heather's spiral-bol.ll')j 81/2" x 11", 177 page tY.pewritten-offset book copyrighted in 1976 and. entitled "Interaction: Practical Human Relations." He plans to donate this to II..Nwl>, Inc. He also advises that he is puttin:;J together recollections of his contacts and activities with Jere. If my rnenory is correct Dr. Heather prepared this material for a course he was teaching after his retirerrent fran the Anerican cpt.ical Co. H. W H. Progressive frustration: \Jhat m::mentarily strikes me as a revealin:J chronology of the developnent of the prCXJressive addition lens is a tabulation in the April 28, 1984, issue of the Ophthalmic Optician, Vol. 24, No. 9, pp. 300-301, 304, & 306. .Accordin:J to the table the "First prCXJressive palfler lens patented" was that of Owen Aves of Europe in, J..907. Fourteen subsequent dates with narres of individuals, canpanies, and· len& .. }>rand names are added, but with a frustratin:;J minimum of explanation·~:ill· ... canplete lack of specification of references. Unfortunately the texb<:· of the article adds nothin:J to the historical detail, nor is it. obvicus · which of twelve listed references might help the reader who may be genuinely interested in pursuin:J the history rrore adequately. The author, John M. Young, a "Senior Research Engineer and Product Manager, American Optical Corporation, " credits an unidentified Dr. Jchn \linthrop for "the extensive work ••• in the preparation of this article." The title of the article is "The progress of progressives." '!he message that cares through, lolr.Tever, is that the progressive addition lens, recent as it may seem, already has a substantial history of its own, and that it may well be a bit lost already. H. \l H. On improvin:; the newsletter: \Jhile rrost OHS merribers could surely not care less, a response to a thoughtful and constructive suggestion by one manber could help portray quite undefensively the "shoestrin:;J" econany and philosophy of our newsletter operation. 86 The very da:licata:l member sUJgests, "If the NOHS were produca:l on 3-oole, standard-puncha:l paper, cq>ies could be kept conveniently in a ring binder." Indea:l, and I too punch holes in my own ccpies and bind them in a three-ring notebook for rootine reference. Hc:Mever these are not the extra ccpies I save for eventual pennanent binding in hard cover with an encrnpassing index, as the roles \\Ould "Neaken the binding a bit • . :. · A check on our very lOW' cost duplicati~ service, available fran a university facility, reveals an adda:l punChing charge of alnost one cent ~r page·,· a.:.c:ost increase of aboot 40%, increasing the material cost of each copy fran about $0.80 to aboot $1.12, an increasa:l cost of awro:ximately $80.00 per issue or $320.00 per year. Further, for the 25% of our It\E!Tbers locata:l ootside of the u.s.A., neither t~e ,paper size nor the "standard 3-hole punch" \\Ould fit their biiidef!S • .. A~ philosophical- aspect however is tia:l in with all of this. EW~ers express their views. Ca'rmimts and SUJgestions are always 'Nelcane, and often implementa:l. H. \-J H. H. \l Hofstetter D.K. Penisten, Editors P.S. "Just as "Nere about to send this issue to the printers 'Ne receiva:l the news of the death on Septanber 12 of Grace Heiner. On Decanber 12, 1983, the Executive Board of the O.H.S. signa:l a certificate of recognition to Grace \Ieiner for her significant contrirutions to the o.H.s. which includa:l past mercbership on the Executive Board of the O.H.s. 1984-15-04-001 1984-15-04-002 1984-15-04-003 1984-15-04-004 1984-15-04-005 1984-15-04-006 1984-15-04-007 1984-15-04-008 1984-15-04-009 1984-15-04-010 1984-15-04-011 1984-15-04-012 1984-15-04-013 1984-15-04-014 1984-15-04-015 1984-15-04-016 1984-15-04-017 1984-15-04-018