Volume 19 /) .. ---..... /JL:.J/ V/ / OPTOMETRY liBRARV L!Dfc!l)' NEWSLETTER ................................. o·p··THE MAY 3 1 1989 ~gPTOMETRIC HISTORICAL soq~~~y /(243 North Lindbergh Boulevalftfi!IUIIJ:fll('fTY St. Louis, Missouri, 63141, USA) July 1988 Number 3 Nothing new under the sun: Reading my comments on the green flash on pages 69-70 of the October issue, Jon Darius of the National Museum of Science and Industry, London, called my attention to a 1958 book by D. J. K. 0' Connell, S. J. , of the Vatican Observatory entitled "The Green Flash and Other Low Sun Phenomena". A bit abashedly I then discovered a complete photocopy of the 200 page volume in our own Optometry Library less than a one minute walk down two floors from my own office on the university campus. Furthermore, an original copy is in the Physics and Astronomy Library only two blocks away. The book is replete with photographs, 80 in color, of the green rim, the red rim, sunrise, sunset, the setting moon, a setting planet, and experimental variations of photographic techniques. A four-page history of prior observations and research starts with the archaeological evidence and references to the green color of the rising sun in ancient Egyptian writings as indicative of the Egyptians' early familiarity with the green flash so easily seen in the clear skies of Egypt. The bibliography lists 313 references, excluding about 200 previously listed by other major writers on the topic but not cited here, or which merely mentioned observation of the green flash without helpful details. H.W H. The views of Cotton Mather (1663-1728): The early eighteenth century 410 page manuscript entitled "The Angel of Bethesda" by Cotton Mather seems to be the only large inclusive medical work of the entire American colonial period. Long forgotten in the archives of the American Antiquariam Society, the manuscript was not published until 1972 by the Society itself under Mather's originally proposed title and the editorship of Gordon W. Jones, M.D. 28 '' ' . The Reverend Cotton Mather was a brilliant member of a prominent Boston family of several prolific authors. He was an intensely religio~s _and widely read person with a pronounced interest in science, which he helped to popularize in his extensive writings. Though many clergymen of his time served also as physicians, Mather, despite his great medical interest, did not practice any medicine. To the annoyance of some of the physicians, however, he often tried to influence the type of treatment that a doctor gave. The identity of Bethesda in the title of the manuscript is certainly based on the biblical account (John 5, 2-5) of the angel who from time to time would come down and disturb the water in the pool at the Bethesda building in Jerusalem. The first of the waiting crowds of sick people to enter the disturbed water would then be cured of whatever ailment he or she had. One of the 66 capsulae or chapters, No. XXXII, is entitled The Oculist. With the permission of the American Antiquarian Society it is totally reproduced here from its 1972 book, as follows: CAP. XXXII. The Oculist. considering, Diseases of the Eye, Especially, Blindness. THE EYE! An Astonishing o,·gan.' Can any thing in the vVorld be shown so Curious? Our Excellent Ray 1 verv trulv sais, Sot the Least Cun'osity can be added unto it.' v\lhat a· Just Remark do all Examiners of this O,·gan, as well as our Derham.~ unavoidablv and Immediately make upon it. l\"one less than an Infinite God .could contrive and order and p1·ovide such a thing.' Sturmiui could not imagine it possible for any Y[an who survey'd the Eye, to abandon himself unto Speculative .dtheism. Tis a most :equal Sentence passed by Dr Cheine/ He ce1·tainly dese1·ves not to Enjoy the Blessings of his Ey-sight, 'U'hose 11-find is so depraved, as not to ackno•u:ledge the Bounty and 'lf?isdome of the .iuthor of his .Yature, in the ravishing Structu1·e of this noble Organ. Tis impossible for me to go any further without Entreating my Reader to join with me, that we may together Lift up our Eyes unto our God, with our Acknowledgments. 0 Thou glorious ~\faker of the EYE: With 'U•hat Astonishments is th~l Po'U·er and Wisdome and Goodness to be adored/ Certainly the GOD that made the Eye must Himself see me, and all the Works of His Hands. Oh/ J.Vlay I always behave myself as having His Eye upon me/ The Diseases whereto this Tender Organ is obnoxious, are, how many 1 And some of them, how very Grievous/ You that have your Eyes continued unto you, Easy, and Lively, be humbly Thankful to the Glorious God, and Thankfully admire His Mercy and His Patience. And while you deprecate and escape a Diseased Eye, be sure as much to deprecate and avoid the 11-foral 29 156 THE ANGEL OF BETHESDA Diseases of the Eye. Reckon an Envious Eye, to be one that has the Chrystallin Humour in it, poisoned. Reckon an Haughty Eye, to be a Distorted one. Reckon an Unchast Eye to be an Inflamed one. An Eye that Covets what it sees, reckon that it has Dirt thrown into it. An Aim at low and base Ends in what we do is a Squinting Eye. Be studious of a Pittiful Eye, that shall affect your Heart when Miser­ able Objects are before you; A Bountiful Eye, that shall be on the Look-out for Objects which you may do good unto. Employ your Eye on the Book which will feed it well. Have your Eye in the Season of it, on a CHRIST at His Table, Evidently sett forth as crucified be­ fore it there. Above all, make it your Study to reach unto that Attain­ ment; My Eyes are Ever towards the Lord. But if you find any Distempers beginning to fall into your Eyes, now Look Bachcard, and with a Son·owful Reflection, mourn for the M o1·al Diseases of the Eye, which you may find yourself to have been guilty of. Yea, The Sins of the Eye have been so many, that if our Eye were a Fountain of Tears, and if Rivers of lf7 ater should 1·un down our Eyes, all were too little to bewayl them. Here the First Sin came in, She SAW ;-And Then !-Alas, the Rest. How Many, and how Heinous are the Faults, \vhich the Lust of the Eye does involve us in! l\1an, Lett thy Distempe1·ed Eyes lead thee to the Bewayling of them. Lo1·d, Hou.: much have my Eyes been the Po1·tholes of lf7icked­ ness! How often has Death gott into my Soul by these Windows/ Man is furnished \Vith Tem·s above any Animal. And many Dis­ tempers of the Eyes, are attended \vith, and productive of, an Im­ moderate Flowing of them. The Occasion which our Sins have given for our Weeping Bitte1·ly, are now to come into Contemplation and Operation with us. It was an Ancient Problem, Cur Deus oculos Fletus esse lnstmmentum voluit? And the Answer to it, was; Ut quo Sordes Peccatorum hauriuntur, Eodem per Lacrymas deluantur. Why must our Eyes be a Spring for our Tears? The Sins which de­ file us enter there. The Tea1·s of Repentance, which are of use in washing away the Defilements, are properly to be expected there. I remember, Tympius5 has an odd Qurestion; Why the Eyes are the Last Things that are Quickened with us, and the First Things that are decayed? It is answered, Ut quo majus est ipsorum periculum. Eo minus sit nocendi Spacium. It seems, our Danger of Hurt from our Eyes, being so great, the Time for them to do it, must be the Less. My Friend, It will be well, if Distempers falling into thy Eyes, may 30 The Oculist I 57 pr::eserve thee, from the Hurt, which those Inletts of Sin often bring in to the sinful Children of Men. There was a famous Dispute before King Alphonsus,S on that Problem, What was the Best Thing to Sharpen the Sight. An Humoursome Gentleman maintained it, for Envy. To Employ, or to Suffer, such a Sharp Sight, Reader, Thou wilt not be ambitious of it. SPECTACLES !'-Mankind is prodigiously Inexcusable in that the N arne of the First Inventor is entirely Lost: That Statues of Corinthian Brass8 have not Immortalized it.-But indeed, it is fitt that none but the Glorious God, should be considered in the Grant of so vast a Benefit. Lord! What would have generally become of us after Fifty (and many of us Before!) if such Glasses of a Modern Inven­ tion had not Supplied our Necessities? Christian, very often, when thou art going to putt on thy Spectacles (or use thy Hand-glasses) Lift up thine Eyes unto the Glorious God, and lett thy Heart form some Acknowledgement of this Importance; Great God, For this Blessing to the World, I give Thanks unto thee! Or, 0 SAVIOUR of Men, How graciously hast thou favou1·ed us. § Pr::eservatives of the Eyesight. § Have you never seen a very Common Plant, call'd, Eye­ b,·ight?0 It forever sais to the Eye that looks upon it; Make use of me, and I ~u:ill do thee Good and not Hurt, all the Days of thy Life. A plain Eye-bright vVater constantly or frequently used, will continue to the Eye-sight a Brightness to be wondered at! Inwardly, an Eye-bright Tea, has Efficacy. Man/ius was by a Dream directed unto the Use of Eybright for a Defluxion on his Eyes, and found a Cure by it. ~Ask now the Fouls 10 of the Air, and they shall tell thee. The Swallows will carry thee to the Celandine. 11 Feeble Eyes, will not find a greater Friend, in the whole Vegetable Kingdom. Drop the Juice of it into the Eyes. It may be diluted with Fair-Water. 12 §A Lye, made of the, Vine-branches, has been by some counted the most noble and potent Eye-Water in the World. §Take a Little Coperas13 and Bole-ArmenicP4 finely powdered, and putt it into a Convenient Quantity of Water. (If the Mixture be too sharp for the Eyes, increase the Quantity of the Water.) Tis a notable Eye-Water. It preserves and strengthens the Sight, unto Ad­ miration. §Take Eye-bright, three Drams; Mace, 15 one Dram; and make a Fine Powder. § M ontagnana16 sais, "I have seen decrepit old Men, almost 31 rs8 THE ANGEL OF BETHESDA blind1 which have been restored unto their Entire Sight, by the Help of this Powder." Take half a Spoonful before Meals, in a glass of Sack. §Raw Oystet·s Eaten Three or Four Every Morning for some time, have a Strange Vertue, to Restore an Impaired Eysight. Some struck Stone-blind, with the Lightening have been Strangely Recov­ ered by this Remedy. §This Powder has done great Cures, in Dimness of Sight, and Rheums17 in the Eyes. Take Powder of Eye-bright, one Ounce: Fennel-seed18 in Pow­ der, half an Ounce: double-refined Sugar, two Ounces. These Po\v­ ders1 well sifted, are to be Mixed: (and kept in a Dry Place) are to be taken, as much as may ly on a Shilling, as often as you please. §Sir William Temple 19 sais, Betony often putt up the Nostrils, has pneserved the Eyes, to a great Age. §A Syrup of B etony-lF ater, and Honey/ A Spoonful taken two or three times a day, is a mighty Strengthener of the Ey-sight. § Some very Decay'd and Aged Eyes, have been Strangely re­ covered, '''ith Fenne!-Wate1·. The Internal Use of the Fennel at the same time, has added unto the Efficacy of the Colly1·ium.~0 § Even Cataracts in the Eye have been cured, by the Internal Use of Millipedes. § Here's a famous Eye-u•ate1·. My Lady Fitz-hardings.~1 Take three Spoonfuls of white Rose Jf7 ate1·/ as much Eye-bright \Vater; and as much sifted white Sugar-Candy, as may ly upon a Three­ pence; and the same Quantity of fine Aloes sifted, and putt to the \Vater, and shake them together. A Few drops of This, at going to Bed. § Sometimes, a Distemper of Sore E'yes, even with painful and grievous Inflammations, comes upon People; yea, becomes a Little Epidemical; or at least so, that very many together are troubled with it. In this Case, there are several Poultis's, which being applied unto the Eyes, have had Notable Successes. A Poultis of White-bread and M-ilk is one of them. A Poultis of White-Beans and Milk, is another of them. A Poultis, of a Rotten Apple is another. Blisters drawn in the Nape of the Neck, have been of Good Consequence. But the Best Thing that I know, is a Lotion, of Saccharum Sa­ turni/2 three or four Grains, dissolved in an Ounce or two of Rose­ Water. Add, Powder of Tutty/3 the same Quantity. If the Inflamma­ tion be very Violent, add three or four Grains of Camp hire. 32 The Oculz"st The Sad Case of Total Blindness. !59 Very Grievous is the Hand of an Holy and Righteous God, [0 Sufferer, Still Confess Him so!] upon those among the Children of Men, who are making these Lamentations, The Light of my Eyes is gone from me. And, He hath brought me into Darkness and not into Light. And, Lord, Thou hast Laid me in Darkness. But, My Friend in the Dark, Thou mayst See Cause to be Thank­ ful for the Senses that are yett left unto thee. Tis a Remarkable In­ stance and Effect of the Divine Compassion unto Mankind. Tho many have been born Blind, and many have been born Deaf, yett it was never known that any one was born Both of these. They must soon ~1ve perished, if they had. Tho' thou canst not See, still thou canst Hear, And be Thankful for That! One Cannot well without Astonishment Consider; the Strange Performances of Some that have been Totally Blind,- Especially, when they have been so from their _Yativity. or their Early I nfancyl How Strangely what has been Defective in One Sense, has been Supplied in another! The Glorious God in such Things takes Pleasure to convince us, That HE is the Doer of all the Good that is done by the Children of J.11 en, and can do by whom He Pleases.' Blind Men have been famous Preachers, vea, famous Writers, in the Church of God. But tho' many have do~e wondrously this way, Thou IVIaster William Jameson/i Professor of History in the Renowned University of Glas­ gow, hast Excelled them all! This wonderful Man, tho' Born Blind, what Books has he written, in the Latin as well as the English Tongue: Books which none but one of a vast Reading ever could have written: Books which discover him an uncommon Critic, in the Oriental, as well as the Latin and Guecian Languages; and a most i.ntimate Acquaintance with Antiquities; Books wherein many Mis­ takes of our greatest and most Gigantic Literators, are with a most nice Erudition refuted and corrected !-Every Page of this my dear Friends late, Spicilegia Antiquitatum, gives me an Am2.zement in the Perusal of it. Since the World began, it has not been heard that any man that was born blind has performed such things as these! Tis probable the Person that has these things Readd unto him, does not propose any such Attainments and Atchievements. However, I will show unto him aM ore Excellent Way! My Friend; Thou mayst Come to See Him who is invisible, in thy Realizing Apprehensions of a Glorious God. 33 r6o THE ANGEL OF BETHESDA Thou mayst come to have a deep Insight into the Myste1-;· of CHRIST, and those Things which the Angels desi1·e to look into. Thou mayst come to have a True Sight of thy Oru:n H ea1·t, and notably discover the Myste1")' of Iniquity working there. Thou mayst come to see, the Et~idence of Things not seen, in thy Faith of what is in the Invisible lf7orld, and of the Things 'U.~hich a1·e not seen and a1·e Ete1·nal. Thine Eyes may be so opened, as to see Wond1·ous Things in the Law of thy God. If thou dost arrive to such a Sight as this, thou mayst Esteem it an Abundant Compensation for thy \Vant of that Bodily Sight, which might have been abused, if thou hadst En joyed it, so as to carry thee away from the Best of Objects. } .. {y Blind F1·iend, what are the Best Objects which thou hast lost the Sight of? The Old Pe1·sian Physician who commonly is quoted as an Ambian, under the Name of Razis/"':) (tho' his true Name was M ehemmed, Son of Zekeriah) when he ''·as grown Blind with Old Age, would not accept the Operation of a Quack, who pretended and offered a Cure for him; And \Yhen his Friends urged it, he still re­ fused it, and gave this Reason for his Refusal; I have Seen the Jrorld so long_, that I desi1·e to see no more of it/ 0 Chn"stian, Le!t not ? .1\1 ahometan go beyond thee, in 1\.1 o1·tijication. Cice1·o reports it. eYen of his Brother-pagan, Democritus: That he comforted himself, under the Loss of his Eysight, \;Vith this; That if he was not able to distin­ guish Black from FP hite, yett he could readily Distinguish Good from Et•il, Right from Wrong. 0 C!Zt·istian, Thou hast yett G1·eater Consolations. And thou mayst comfortably \'\"ait for that Resur1·ection from the Dead, wherein thou shalt see for thyself, and thine Eyes behold, thy Living REDEEMER. 34 The superscript numbers in the reproduced text refer to Dr. Jones's editorial notes in another part of the book not included here. The superscript 7 at SPECTACLES, for example, refers to the editor's comments on the prior history of spectacles. The superscript 8 in the same paragraph refers to an explanation that Corinthian Brass was an alloy of gold, silver, and copper. Mather's comment on spectacles for those "of us after fifty" suggests that he was over 50 at the time he wrote the paragraph. This would date the authorship between 1713 and 1728. The address of the American Antiquarian Society, incidentally, is 185 Salisbury Street, Worcester, Massachusetts, 01609-1634, U.S. A. The book is still in print and is available from the University Press of Virginia. The original manuscript resides in the Society's Department of Manuscripts. Membership in the Society is by election, but all qualified readers have access to the Sgciety's collections whether or not they are members. Southall effects preserved: The following paragraphs of a letter of May 1, 1988, describe the permanent disposition of the remaining files and shelves of office material left by the late Professor James P. c. Southall. The letter is from Mrs. Abbot (Roberta) Southall, daughter-in-law of the professor, to Mr. Michael Plunkett, Curator of Manuscripts, Alberman Library, University of Virginia, Charlottsville, Virginia. When my son, Thomas Southall, who is Curator of Photographs at the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, was with me last week, he talked by telephone with Robert Hull regarding the disposition of papers left by his grandfather, James P. C. Southall, who graduated from the University of Virginia in 1891 with a B.A. degree (M.A. 1893) and had a distinguished career in physics, retiring from Columbia University in 1940 as Professor Emeritus. Mr. Hull said we should address all correspondence to you . .. I am delighted to know that the University will serve as repository for these papers. My children and I would impose no restrictions on their use other than to request that we retain disposal rights. Copies of correspondence with Professor Henry W Hofstetter, Rudy Professor Emeritus of Optometry at Indiana University, are enclosed, including his letter to Mrs. Maria Dab lemont at the International Library Archives and Museum of Optometry, Inc., in st. Louis. My son talked by phone with Mrs. Dab lemont, who is interested in the material. We would like Mrs,.~Dablemont 35 and other members of the International Library to have full access to these materials and to receive either the originals or copies of all scientific-related materials. Mrs. Dablemont is retiring from the Library on June 3. After that, the person to contact will be Linda Draper. I also enclose a rough inventory of the materials at hand and, in lieu of biographical notes on Professor Southall, copy of an article prepared by Professor Hofstetter in 1986 for the Newsletter of the Optometric Historical Society. As my son probably told Mr. Hull, I am in the process of selling my house, which is why this matter has come to a head at this time. If current negotiations go through, I shall be moving early in July and shall then arrange for the movers to pack and ship the materials to you. Included with the papers will be books which Professor Southall either wrote himself or owned and annotated. Of course if you can and wish to arrange for packing and shipment at an earlier date, that would be fine. I think this arrangement is exactly as Professor Southall would have wanted it and I thank you so much for making it possible. "History of Australian optometry": This must surely be the optometric history book of the year, if not of all time. To me it comes as something of a surprise even though I had met author Charles Wright eighteen years ago and learned then that he was an ardent buff of optometric history. I also learned then that he was a very scientific and scholarly optometrist, a truly artistic and productive craftsman, an expressive and perceptive admirer of the accomplishments of his fellows, one who assumed fully his perennial responsibilities as a public citizen and professional councilor, and at the same time a person who in his personal modesty could delight his colleagues with his banquet-speech humor. How could he also have the inclination and time to write this outstanding tome of 245 large double-column pages plus xxiv prefatory pages, including 46 photographs mostly of early groups (with every individual identified!)? "Pure and persistent devotion" is his wife Dorothy's explanation. Wrapped in a jacket that colorfully illustrates a turn-of-the­ century optometrist in action, the book could well grace any library or reception room as a conversation piece as well as entice one to open it. Upon opening it one finds that the reading of virtually any paragraph.at random is as fascinating as a letter 36 from home. The author, Charles Wright, writes in first person and about people whose efforts and doings bore upon the events and trends of Australian optometry, especially during the last 100 years. His discourse comfortably utilizes his direct personal acquaintance with so many of the mentioned historical personnel as well as conversations with older optometrists, including his own father, who could be induced to reminisce about their predecessors. Further, through the~accumulated correspondence in his own and his ·father's files and the archives of the National Library of the Australian Optometrical Association he was able to document the chronology and tone of each reported skirmish, maneuver, progressive movement, or setback. Though certainly biased by the fact that he himself is an optometrist and that his resources were mainly optometric, the author clearly exercises intense objectivity in his perceptions and even alerts his readers to comments that may be a bit partisan. Except for parts of the first two of 27 chapters this is not a history book that merely rewrites other history books. These two brief chapters are entitled "Our Forerunners" and "Forerunners of Australian Ophthalmology" and deal primarily with a few significant events in the United Kingdom, Australians' motherland, prior to the turn of this century. Missing is any discussion of ophthalmic aspects of life during the first of the two centuries following the European settlement of Australia in 1788. It seems likely that among the thousands of assigned personnel, settlers, and convicts of that era there were at least a few opticians, spectaclemakers, spectacle merchants, oculists, or the like who plied their ophthalmic trade in a fashion that may have had some, though probably negligible, impact on later optometric developments. Such history, if recorded anywhere, would of course not be among the resources utilized by Wright. The following few selected chapter titles provide a clue to the depth and breadth of coverage: Dispensing; Forming Professional Associations; Itinerant and Group Practice; The First Conference; Journals; One Man Secretariat; National Health Victory; Education for Qualification; Research Institutes. The fact that the details are totally Australian does not detract from the book's broad .. optometric significance. The scenario and milieu are so analagotis to those of other optometric nationalities as to suggest that "only the names of the players are different". To mark Australia's Bicenten;:\ry the book wa,:;; published in 1988 by the Australian Optometrical Association, 204 Drummond Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia, Telephone (03) 663-6833. The price of the book is 55 Australian dollars, post paid. H.W H. 37 Creator of memorial jewels: Charles Wright, author of "History of Australian Optometry", . exercises his talented craftsmanship not only in restoration of vintage Rolls-Royce motor cars but also in the design and creation of jewels of office and honor. Among them are personal bronze jewels for past national presidents of the Australian Optometrical Association which are worn regularly at formal optometric functions. Other specially designed pieces of art include the Praeclarum H. Barry Collin Research Medal, a bronze portrait head of Professor Barry Cole, and a Jewel of Honour for Professor Gerald Westheimer. Replicas of these and other memorializing creations by Charles Wright are on display in the "Hall of Fame" in the Wright Library of the Australian Optometrical Association. Kaleidoscopic facts and fantasies: Perhaps you think of a kaleidoscope as a simple optical toy which Brewster invented and patented unprofitably in 1816 and which soon acquired explosive popularity only to become merely a child's novelty with the subsequent advent of stereoscopes, movies, television, and other visual attractions. Or perhaps it just reminds you of a graphic ray-tracing exercise in a geometric optics course. If so, you should get the colorful 144 page paperback book "Through the Kaleidoscope" by Cozy Baker, published in 1985 by Beechcliff Books, 100 Severn Ave., Suite 605, Annapolis, Maryland 21403, U.S.A. ($16.50). It includes not only a touching biographical commentary on Sir David Brewster, together with his patent and excerpts of later (1873-1874) patents by Charles G. Bush, but also tidbits about numerous other designers, makers, and adapters who have created, and are still creating, kaleidoscopic modifications for fun and sales. An insert invites the reader to join The Brewster Society for "designers, collectors, and lovers of kaleidoscopes" at a $25.00 annual subscription rate. The address is the same as that of the publisher. Today's kaleidoscopes vary in price from $5 to over $5,000, and dimensions range from pocket penlight size to an instrument of 500 lbs. over 6 ft. high and 10 ft. long. The book includes dozens of illustrations, a bibliography, an index, addresses of more than 50 shops and galleries, .a technical glossary, and numerous fantasies described by ardent viewers. In his patent Brewster stated that the kaleidoscope would be useful "for exhibiting and treating beautiful forms and patterns, of great use in all the ornamental arts". Indeed! 38 Ultraviolet protection optics: An historical review of attempts to determine what radiant energy is needed or harmful is a major part of an article entitled "Is Ultraviolet Light Really Harmful;" in the June 1988 issue of Eyecare Business, Vol. 3, No. 6, pp. 54 & 56-57. The author is John M. Young, the head of an engineering consulting firm specializing in ophthalmics. The article leads to no firm conclusion, but it does make evident that the interpretation of ocular radiant effects also has a growing history. Editors: Henry W Hofstetter 2615 Windermere Woods Drive Bloomington, IN 47401 USA Douglas K. Penisten College of Optometry Northeastern State University Tahlequah, OK 74464 USA 1988-19-03-001 1988-19-03-002 1988-19-03-003 1988-19-03-004 1988-19-03-005 1988-19-03-006 1988-19-03-007 1988-19-03-008 1988-19-03-009 1988-19-03-010 1988-19-03-011 1988-19-03-012