HINDSIGHT Journal of Optometry History October, 2010 Volume 41, Number 4 )! :·~c.' Official Publication of the Optometric Historical Society Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History publishes material on the history of optometry and related topics. As the official publication of the Optometric Historical Society, Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History supports the purposes and functions of the Optometric Historical Society. The purposes of the Optometric Historical Society, according to its by-laws, are: • to encourage the collection and preservation of materials relating to the history of optometry, • to assist in securing and documenting the recollections of those who participated in the development of optometry, • to encourage and assist in the care of archives of optometric interest, • to identify and mark sites, landmarks, monuments, and structures of significance in optometric development, and • to shed honor and recognition on persons, groups, and agencies making notable contributions toward the goals of the society. Officers and Board of Trustees of the Optometric Historical Society (with years of expiration of their terms on the Board in parentheses): President: Irving Bennett (2012), 1520 Pelican Point Drive, BA252, Sarasota, FL 34231, or 3307 Seventh Avenue, Beaver Falls, PA 15010, irvbennett23@gmail.com Vice-President: Douglas K. Penisten (2011) Secretary-Treasurer: Arol Augsburger (2013) Trustees: Jerry Abrams (2013) Jay M. Enoch (2010) Alden Norm Haffner (2014) Chuck Haine (2012) The official publication of the Optometric Historical Society, published quarterly since its beginning, was previously titled: Newsletter of the Optometric Historical Society, 1970-1991 (volumes 1-22), and Hindsight: Newsletter of the Optometric Historical Society, 1992-2006 (volumes 23-37). Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History began in 2007 with volume 38, number 1. On the cover: The drawing represents OHS for Optometric Historical Society: the 0 an elementary schematic of an eye, the H three intersecting pairs of spectacles, and the S a representation of a light wave with the Greek letter lambda indicating one wavelength. The drawing artist was Diane Goss. OHS website: www.opt.indiana.edu/ohs/opthohiso.html HINDSIGHT: Journal of Optometry History October, 2010 Volume 41, Number 4 Editor: David A. Goss, School of Optometry, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, dgoss@indiana.edu Contributing Editors: Jay M. Enoch, School of Optometry, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720- 2020, jmenoch@berkeley.edu Irving Bennett, 1520 Pelican Point Drive, BA252, Sarasota, FL 34231, or 3307 Seventh Avenue, Beaver Falls, PA 15010, irvbennett23@gmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS Optometrist Jailed for Charging an Exam Fee, Irving Bennett.. ........................ ....... 1 06 Some Conversations Held with the Late Reverend James L. Farmer, Jr., Jay M. Enoch ....................................................................................................... 109 Christian Henry Brown (1857-1933) and the Philadelphia Optical College, David A. Goss ... ..................................................................................................... 114 The First Year Long Optometric Residency Education Program, Irwin Suchoff ........ . 122 Recollections of Participation in the First Year-Long Residency Program, Harvey Estren ....................................................................................................... 126 One Hundred Years Ago: Start of the Optometry School at Columbia University, David A. Goss ..................................................................................................... 129 OHS News ................................................................................................. 133 OHS Membership Application Form ................................................................ 135 Instructions to Authors .................................................................................. 136 Journal subscriptions are registered by joining the Optometric Historical Society. The cost of an institutional or library subscription is the same as for personal membership. Manuscripts submitted for publication should be sent to the Editor at the email or postal address above. A Word document attached to an email message is the preferred means of submission. Paper copy submissions sent by postal service will also be considered. Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History .... October, 2010, volume 41, number 4, page 105 Optometrist Jailed for Charging an Exam Fee Irving Bennett, O.D. 1520 Pelican Point Drive, BA252, Sarasota, FL 34231, or 3307 Seventh Avenue, Beaver Falls, PA 15010, irvbennett23@gmail.com Looking back it does not seem conceivable that an optometrist could be put in jail for charging a fee for an eye examination. But it did happen. The most likely person to stand up to those who considered optometry a cult was Charles F. Prentice of New York, considered by many as the "father of optometry." In the 1890s Prentice worked hard trying to form an association of those who examined eyes and fit eyeglasses; they were generally called "opticians". That association eventually became our American Optometric Association. Although Prentice was threatened with legal action and a boycott by some oculists, he did not suffer the fate of Fred R. Baker of Dallas, Texas. Baker, in 1919, was a prominent American Optometric Association (AOA) figure, who was arrested after he had fitted a pair of eyeglasses. He was charged with "practicing medicine without a license." He faced with a fine and time in jail! As it turned out Baker spent but one day in jail. It was no simple matter to resolve this thorny issue and the optometric leadership was very much aware of what was at stake in this lawsuit. In 1919, Texas was one of only six states that still did not have an optometry licensure law. However, that was not from lack of trying. They failed in attempts to obtain an optometry practice act and the Texas Attorney General held the opinion that optometry fell under the act regulating medical practice. 1 Optometrists throughout the country realized that there could be dire consequences if the lawsuit was lost. Optometrists were very worried that they would all lose their ability to practice optometry if the profession was regulated by the medical practice act. And there was substantial fear was that medicine might start to overturn optometry laws in other states. However, if optometry won the Baker case and the court held that optometry was not regulated under the medical practice act, it appeared likely that an optometric licensure law could be passed. Raising Funds for the Baker Case At the July, 1919 AOA Congress in Rochester, New York, delegates were so concerned about the Baker case that they made pledges on the convention floor for the Baker case which nearly equaled the amount of money accumulated in the past four years for a sustaining membership fund.2 Much "cheering and optometric flag waving" led to significant contributions. 3 It was said that a hat being passed around was filled with silver dollars. The $200 pledge of Chinese native W.K.H. Yen, who practiced optometry in China and was doing additional study in the United States, was received with such applause that he had to step on stage to shake hands with the officers.3 Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History .... October, 2010, volume 41, number 4, page 106 Optometrists were able to raise a total of $40,000! Think of that in today's perspective. The AOA dues in 1919 were $2; in 2010, the dues amount to $768. That is 384 times the 1919 amount. If the convention members in 1919 could come up with $40,000, it could be argued that in today's dollars that would be more than $15 million. Gregg noted that: "The members felt a sense of cohesiveness as they had never done before. Medicine, it turned out, had done optometry a great favor by attacking via the Baker case. The AOA passed a motion to take over the Baker case and to put every bit of its power and resources behind it."4 A Calculated Move by Texas Optometrists In actual fact, due to their frustration in not being able to get an optometry practice law passed, Texas optometrists had decided to stage a test case. Fred Baker had volunteered to be arrested for unlawfully practicing medicine. Baker examined a minister named F.F. McHenry on March 22, 1920. The examination was conducted in the presence of two other optometrists. Within a week he was found guilty, charged with a $50 fine and sentenced to one day in jail. 1 Optometrists made an immediate appeal to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. In many states, optometrists had made a compromise to get their practice laws passed. That compromise was that medical practitioners were not required to pass optometry licensure examinations in order to practice optometry. That fact was used against the Texas optometrists in the Court of Criminal Appeals. The Texas State Journal of Medicine reported that the attorneys for the State argued that "in all those States wherein optometrists are regulated and licensed by statue, the medical practitioners are given the express right to practice optometry without further examination of license - a clear admission that the practice of optometry comes within the field of the practice of medicine ... "5 Unfortunately, the initial hearing before the Court of Criminal Appeals resulted in a conviction. On June 1, 1921, Baker was found guilty and ordered to pay the fine and serve the one day in jail. Gregg observed that Baker "was close to being a martyr to optometry, if there is such a thing .... Baker's friends and patients read in the paper that he was a criminal. ... Baker's practice dwindled away and his wife became i11."4 Baker's wife died in August of 1921. As a result of newspaper editorials opposing the court's decision, public opinion favored the optometrists. This resulted in the Texas legislature revisiting the issue of an optometry law. In August, 1921, an optometry licensure law was passed in Texas, making it the last state to have an optometry law enacted. Passage of an optometry law in the District of Columbia in 1924 completed the establishment of optometry practice laws in the continental United States. In a rehearing, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ruled on February 22, 1922 that Baker was exempt from punishment. Baker retired in April of 1922. Classe stated that the Baker case "became a significant chapter in optometry's legal history, Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History .... October, 2010, volume 41, number 4, page 107 demonstrating medicine's determination to eradicate the profession and the profession's ability to muster the legislative and political strength to defeat such efforts."6 References 1. Classe JG. Legal Aspects of Optometry. Boston: Butterworths, 1989:9. 2. Gregg JR. American Optometric Association- A History. St. Louis: American Optometric Association, 1972:65,79-80. 3. Gregg JR. American Optometric Association -A History. St. Louis: American Optometric Association, 1972:79-80. 4. Gregg JR. American Optometric Association -A History. St. Louis: American Optometric Association, 1972:80. 5. Anonymous. Editorial: The case of State of Texas vs. Fred R. Baker (Optometry). Texas State J Med 1920;16:147-151. 6. Classe JG. Legal Aspects of Optometry. Boston: Butterworths, 1989:10. Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History .... October, 2010, volume 41, number 4, page 108 Some Conversations Held with the Late Reverend James L. Farmer, Jr.; He Was The Founder and Head for Many Years of the Congress of Racial Equality (C.O.R.E.). [These Talks Took Place in Bethesda, MD, While We Served Jointly on the National Advisory Eye Council, NEI, NIH.] Jay M. Enoch, O.D., Ph.D, Dr(s).Sci.(h.c.) Professor of the Graduate School, Dean Emeritus, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720-2020; Home: 5537 106th Avenue, NE, Kirkland, WA 98033- 7 413, jmenoch@berkeley.edu Introduction Each of us has had unique opportunities in life. I had the good fortune to be able to play a role in the founding of the National Eye Institute, NIH, while serving as Executive Secretary of the "Subcommittee on Vision and Its Disorders" (Chair, Bernard Becker, M.D.), of the National Advisory Neurological Diseases and Blindness Council, NIH. That role is not considered in this document. Later, I served for two terms upon the National Advisory Eye Council, National Eye Institute (NEI), National Institutes of Health (NIH). I was appointed to the latter role separately by Presidents Nixon and Carter. My two terms of service were ( 1) Feb. 25, 1975 to Sept. 30, 1976; and (2) Dec. 20, 1980 to Oct. 31, 1984. These were still relatively early days after the creation of the National Eye Institute; i.e., after eye and vision care were separated by statute from the then "portfolio" of the National Institute for Neurological Diseases and Blindness (NINDB) and placed into a newly-created Institute at the NIH. One can discuss many things about such experiences. Here, I have chosen to discuss aspects of numerous conversations held with the late Reverend James "Jim" Leonard Farmer, Jr. (Born: Jan. 12, 1920 - Died: July 9, 1999), then former long-serving founder and head of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). He and the CORE organization were meaningful and very effective participants in the Civil-Rights Movement which occurred during the later half of the 20th Century. At the time when Jim and I held overlapping terms on the National Advisory Eye Council (he served on Council from Dec. 2, 1979 to Oct. 31, 1983), he represented unions serving government employees (The Coalition of American Public Employees, Washington, DC). The National Advisory Eye Council held three or four meetings per annum in Bethesda, Maryland, at the National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Welfare. The ophthalmologist members on the Council usually went off separately on the night before the NEI Council meeting. A few members came to the NIH only on the day of the meeting. Many Council members arrived days-early in Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History .... October, 2010, volume 41, number 4, page 109 Bethesda in order to review/refresh their memories regarding the large number of grant applications which were to be considered during the (then current) Council meeting. Most often, Mrs. Norma F. Krajczar, of the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Newark, NJ, as well as Jim Farmer, both also members of Council, and I would meet on those evenings to spend a pleasant social evening together. [As a side-note, Mrs. Krajczar was nearly blind, or was totally blind. She had a truly remarkable seeing-eye dog (a black Labrador) which accompanied her everywhere, including to NEI Council meetings. Even in the longest of sessions, one never knew the animal was even present. This seeing-eye dog was incredibly well trained ... the writer has never seen the equal! Note: Norma and her husband played key roles in training seeing-eye dogs.] Norma served on Council from Nov. 21, 1979 - Oct. 31, 1983. At that time, Jim Farmer was blind in one eye from glaucoma (and possibly from complications of diabetes?). He invariably wore a black patch over that eye. (Please see Fig. 1. Note, he was not wearing the patch at the time this fine photograph was taken in 1964.) Jim died of complications of diabetes. Almost without exception, for the better part of two years of such meetings, Jim would regale the two of us, well into the night, with descriptions of his experiences as the founder and head of CORE during the often turbulent Civil Rights Movement in the 20th Century. At its peak, CORE had over 80,000 members! Mrs. Krajczar and I sat there fascinated by his descriptions of his boyhood, his education, and by the ongoing and detailed description of the often tumultuous events of the Civil Rights Movement, and his descriptions of the actions taken by him and others, and by the personalities of the other leaders within the larger Civil Rights Movement! Jim was then writing an autobiographical book describing his experiences as a key/major leader of the massive National movement seeking to grant greater freedoms to blacks, to enhance voting rights for all U.S. citizens, to ensure ready access for blacks and other minorities in/to all hotels and restaurants, to eliminate required separate seating in busses, trains, and in other venues, and to increase work and educational opportunities for this (these) population(s), etc.1-3 Sadly, such restrictions still existed in a number of States during that era. The writer was witness to a number of such sad/unfortunate acts of discrimination. Curiously, (apparently) none of the other fine leaders of this enormous political, social, and public movement wrote personal auto-biographical accounts of their activities for the historical record! Included in the latter statement was the late Reverend Martin Luther King (Southern Christian Leadership Conference). Some other leaders of the Civil Rights movement at that time were Roy Wilkins (NAACP), Whitney Young (Urban League), etc.1-3 Interestingly, I understood that two of the three civil-rights-workers slain in the Freedom Summer of 1964 in Mississippi during one of the epic marches of that time period, were members of CORE The three individuals who were killed, apparently by Klansmen, on that occasion (a black and two whites) were named Michael Schwerner,* James Chaney,* and Andrew Goodman. The first two of these men(*) were early Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History .... October, 2010, volume 41, number 4, page 110 CORE members. "These CORE workers were investigating a church burning, and promoting black voter registration."1-3 This proved to be a critical/seminal event in the lengthy history of the Civil Rights Movement of that era. At that time, a major goal of the group was to address the issue of desegregation in interstate transportation. Some Conversations I am not sure how our informal conversations started? So saying, they became a regular part of our attendance at the NEI Council meetings, and both Norma and I avidly looked forward to hearing succeeding episodes and discussions. It is possible that Jim was trying out material on the two of us which was to be contained in his forthcoming autobiographical book.4 His discussions were always orderly and presented in a most cogent style. We were free to ask questions and to pursue issues raised. Fears, Beatings, Violence! Often, Jim and his workers and supporters were subjected to threats, beatings and violence during the quite tumultuous period of their "Freedom marches" particularly in the deep South. He/they were frequently concerned for their very lives in their interactions with the police, as well as the very vocal and active opponents encountered in the streets. They were particularly concerned about the police dogs often used to "control them", and by people accosting them in various situations! Mr. Farmer once said, "I was meant to die that night! They were kicking open doors, beating up blacks in the streets, interrogating them with cattle prods."1-4 And they were repeatedly jailed by Local and State Police for periods of time for various charged offenses. Some trips to the jails were for more than token periods of time (on one occasion, I believe Jim was held for 40 days for participating in a march). The jails were often not well kept, and they, too, sometimes presented additional threats to their personal welfare and safety. No matter what, these folks were dedicated ("We shall overcome!"), and they readily faced up to all obstacles placed before them in their quest for enhanced rights for blacks and other minority groups! Farmer is quoted as saying, "Evil societies always kill their consciences." He repeatedly stated to us that he favored M. Gandhi's position of non­ violent direct action/opposition when faced with confrontations. An Interesting Omission A fascinating set of comments made by Farmer to us on more than one occasion related to discussions of the late Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. (In what follows, here, I did not sense that issues of jealousy or envy were involved.) Obviously, Farmer knew King well (as well as the other leaders of the Civil Rights Movement). Often, he pointed out that King was an exceptionally able individual, a truly fine leader, and a brilliant orator. Also, by training, like King, James Farmer was a Reverend gentleman (as were both of their fathers), and a fine orator. Importantly, Jim noted that King was not the almost-Saint-like person he has been portrayed in recent years. He was, in many ways, like most other people! He said this in a matter of fact manner, i.e., not with rancor! For discussion's sake, he raised this issue in terms of how he should treat discussions of Dr. King in his forthcoming book. He noted, today, King is the only person singled out for name-recognition associated with a national holiday in this Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History .... October, 2010, volume 41, number 4, page Ill Nation. We no longer celebrate George Washington's, or Abraham Lincoln's birthday, but we celebrate Martin Luther King Day! Nor for that matter do we celebrate Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, nor any of a number of other distinguished Americans of all races and religions. Thus, Jim asked us how we thought he should treat this set of issues in the book, or should he just let the matter lie? Clearly, this was a decision he had to make. came away from these several conversations believing that he would introduce some such discussions in his book. When the book was completed, he kindly sent a copy to me.4 When I read the book, I remember looking through it in order to see how he dealt with these issues? Assuming he had introduced such material into his text, his colleagues, and/or publishers, and editors might have argued against his taking such an approach. Phrased another way, Martin Luther King remains a very special icon in the minds of US citizens, and, in particular, in the black community! To introduce such content, even assuming he was perfectly justified, may well have aroused considerable negative backlash. Jim did not address this set of issues in this book. In Closing Mrs. Krajczar and I found Jim Farmer to be an absolutely fascinating individual! He was the grandson of slaves, and an active and effective fighter for social welfare. We came back again and again for the many episodes he described to us, and for his characterizations of the "players and participants" in his very personal history of the events of the Civil Rights Movement. Simply stated, the description of these tumultuous events of this very special time in our Nation's history, by this central figure in that history, was absolutely riveting! In a very real sense, we were witnesses to a remarkable oral documentary of a crucial era in our lifetimes! It was a pity that we did not have a recording of those sessions! This was indeed a fine and worthy man! References 1. Severo R. James Farmer, Civil Rights Giant In the 50's and 60's Is Dead at 79; Published in the New York Times, July 10, 1999. Appeared on the web at: http://www .nytimes.com/1999/07 /1 0/us/james-farmer-civil-rights-giant-in-the 50-s-and- 60-s-is-dead-at-79.htm?scp=1&sq=Congress of Racial Equality,James Farmer&st=cse &pagewa.... This citation may have been incorporated in Wikipedia. 2. Farmer JL Jr. [some quotations cited]: "We, who are the living possess the past, Tomorrow is for our martyrs." "Evil societies always kill their consciences." " ... jail not bail!" "We shall overcome." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8ybz1_nyti&NR=1 3. "Civil Rights Leader James Farmer Dies" (http://highbeam.com/doc/1 P2- 661215.html). Retrieved May 19, 2008. "James L/ Farmer, 79, founder of the Congress of Racial Equality and the moving force behind some of the most dramatic episodes of the civil rights era of the 1960s, died yesterday at a hospital in Fredericksburg, VA." 4. Farmer JL Jr. Lay Bare the Heart: An Autobiography of the Civil Rights Movement. New York: Penguin-Plume, 1986, ISBN 0-452-25803-0. 5. Kupfer C, McManus E, with Berlage N. History of the National Eye Institute, 1968-2000. 2009. There is no publisher listed in this book; the author assumes it was Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History .... October, 2010, volume 41, number 4, page I 12 published by the NIH or by the U.S. Government. For dates of service of cited individuals on the NEI Council, please see pp. 203-211. Figure 1. This is a photograph of the late Rev. James L. Farmer, Jr. taken on April15, 1964, at a meeting of the American Society ofNewspaper Editors. As best the writer can determine, as part of an agreement for transfer of this photograph to the Library of Congress, this photo-record was placed in the public domain. The writer hopes he has correctly interpreted the accompanying statement. This photograph has been reproduced from Wikipedia. If this statement by the author is incorrect, he apologizes to the Library of Congress which apparently holds current title to the photograph! Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History .... October, 2010, volume 41, number 4, page 113 Christian Henry Brown (1857-1933) and the Philadelphia Optical College David A. Goss, O.D., Ph.D. School of Optometry, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, dgoss@indiana.edu Abstract Christian Henry Brown, M.D., (1857-1933) was an oculist who operated the Philadelphia Optical College for over forty years. This paper provides a brief biographical sketch of C. H. Brown and a history of the Philadelphia Optical College. The Philadelphia Optical College offered attendance and correspondence courses in optometry, and claimed to have had several thousand graduates. It did not fare well in a rating of optometry schools in the mid-1920s. Brown authored several significant textbooks, most notably Optician's Manual, later retitled Optometrist's Manual. Key words: optometric education, optometry books, optometry history, optometry schools. Christian Henry Brown, M.D., was the proprietor of an early optometry school and the author of several optometry books. He was born May 8, 1857, in Lancaster, Pennsr.lvania, the son of Edwin H. Brown (1830-1889) and Susan (Widmyer) Brown(?- 1882). -3 His father was a bank employee in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. C.H. Brown attended Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He entered medical school at the University of Pennsylvania in 1875, and completed the M.D. degree in 1878, at the 21 years of age. After medical school, he was Resident Physician in the Philadelphia Hospital, after which he was Visiting Physician at the Lancaster County Hospital and Secretary of the Lancaster City Board of Health. 1•2 While in Lancaster, Brown started specializing in diseases of the eye and ear.4 Later he is identified as an oculist or as a physician specializing in diseases of the eye.1·5 He located in Philadelphia in 1887. In 1889, Brown was one of the co-founders of the Philadelphia Optical College. He continued to practice as an oculist as he operated the school. He served as president of the Philadelphia Optical College until his death on December 11, 1933. Philadelphia Optical College The Philadelphia Optical College was founded in 1889 by D.V. Brown, W. Reed Williams, and C.H. Brown.6 D.V. Brown at that time was president of the Philadelphia Optical Company and a prominent figure in the optical business. He died in about 1916. I have found no evidence of a family relation between D.V. Brown and C. H. Brown. W. Reed Williams was treasurer of the Philadelphia Optical Company. C.H. Brown was the Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History .... October, 2010, volume 41, number 4, page 114 initial instructor for the Philadelphia Optical College and was the major individual in its operation. It is unclear how long D.V. Brown and W. Reed Williams were involved with the school after its founding. It appears that a significant number of persons attended the Philadelphia Optical College. Remarks during a 1917 alumni banquet included the statement that over 2,000 persons had attended.7 Otto Haussmann, who graduated from the school in 1905 and joined its faculty in 1916,6 claimed the following in a memorial tribute to C.H. Brown: "More than 5000 students enrolled in the Philadelphia Optical College and all of them received Doctor Brown's personal attention."8 Hofstetter9 reported on a 1944 study of 12,534 practicing optometrists conducted by the American Optometric Association. Of that number, 476 were graduates of the Philadelphia Optical College. Only five schools had more graduates in practice at that time: Northern Illinois College of Optometry (2,898), Needles Institute of Optics (860), Los Angeles School of Optometry (71 0), Pennsylvania State College of Optometry (678), and Columbia University (524 ). Persons who attended Philadelphia Optical College came from a variety of backgrounds. A news item in the 1908 Optical Journal said that some of their students had worked in dentistry, jewelry stores, watchmaking, and engraving.10 A 1915 news item noted that three of their enrollees were physicians. 11 An 1899 advertisement for the school proclaimed that "Druggist and Optician will prove a strong combination."12 Philadelphia Optical College advertised not only in optometric publications, such as Optical Journal and Optometric Weekly, but also in periodicals for druggists and dentists.12 News items in the Optical Journal from the Philadelphia Optical College frequently emphasized successes and leadership positions of graduates. For example, in 1914, graduates were elected to the presidency of the Nebraska State Association of Optometrists, to officer positions in the Florida State Optometric Association, and to the presidency of the Iowa State Board of Optometry, and two graduates gave papers at the Ohio Optical Association meeting.13-16 In 1915, a graduate named William V. Nicum was added to the instructional staff of the new optometry school at The Ohio State University, and he recommended the adoption of C. H. Brown's Optician's Manual as a textbook there. 17 In 1916, it was reported that graduates Schenmeyer and Jarvis were vice-presidents of the American Optical Association and a graduate named Jenkins was treasurer. 18 The Indiana University Optometry Library holds a microfilm copy of a scrapbook of advertisements for Philadelphia Optical College placed in various periodicals. The items in the scrapbook are mostly from 1890 to 1914. The scrapbook is thought to have been compiled by C.H. Brown.12 A December, 1893 advertisement said: "Our Correspondence Course is all that is needed to make any man a skilled optician, after which our Charter empowers us to award a diploma and confer a degree." In 1900, they advertised six month, three month, one month, special, and post-graduate attendance courses, as well as correspondence courses. The one month, special, and Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History .... October, 2010, volume 41, number 4, page 115 post-graduate courses were for those "already engaged in optical pursuits." In 1903, the degrees awarded by Philadelphia Optical College included Graduate in Optometry, Doctor of Optics, Doctor of Optometry, and Doctor of Refraction. 12 In 1908, the school advertised one week, two week, one month, three month, or six month attendance courses, along with correspondence courses. By 1913, the attendance courses ranged from one month to two years in length. A 1914 advertisement said that the attendance courses were "as long or as short as will suffice for individual requirements."12 The Philadelphia Optical College did not fare well in the 1920s when optometry schools were rated by the Education Committee of the International Board of Boards, an organization of optometry boards of examiners. In 1922, a conference on standards in optometric education was held. One of the resolutions of the conference was that "no credits or diplomas for correspondence courses be given ... "19 A direct consequence of the conference was the rating of the existing optometry schools. They were evaluated on the basis of information the schools provided and on-site visits. Criteria used in the evaluation included non-profit status, admission of at least high school graduates, adequacy of facilities and staff, curriculum of at least two years of 32 weeks or more each, and inclusion of the subjects in syllabi prepared by Frederick Wall, an instructor at Columbia University.20 Of the 30 schools providing optometry instruction in 1925, only 16 were judged worthy of having on-site visits for rating. The rating levels for the schools visited were A, B, and C. The schools which were judged as not reaching the C level based on the initial information submitted did not undergo site visits. 19 The Philadelphia Optical College was among those schools which were not rated high enough to be visited. Despite the poor evaluation, the Philadelphia Optical College continued to operate for a number of years. The Philadelphia Optical College Correspondence Course OHS member Charles Letocha provided the author with copies of examination papers from the Philadelphia Optical College correspondence course. The course was taken in August and September of 1914 by an Ernest W. Dodd, a relative of one of Dr. Letocha's patients. Included with the examination paper was a two page introduction to the course, headed "Personal Letter of Advice- Read Carefully." At the top a blank after "Matriculation No." was stamped with the number 2430. The letter of advice recommended that the student "cultivate habits of study" and "study, study." It was stated that the aim of the course was "to direct your studies and to systemize your knowledge." Studies were expected to read and study textbooks, such as C. H. Brown's Optician's Manual. One of the two volumes was provided free to students after payment of the enrollment fee. It was noted that all answers on the examination forms would be "critically examined by Dr. Brown." The letter of advice stated that the last lesson was no. 28, "Student's Practice Eye." This was an optional lesson which students received if they purchased a $2 practice eye. Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History .... October, 2010, volume 41, number 4, page 116 Ernest Dodd completed lessons 1 through 27 in August and September of 1914. He received a letter dated October 13, 1914, stating that he was graduating as Doctor of Optics and that a diploma was being sent to him. The examination paper for each lesson consisted of 25 questions with space for answers. Mr. Dodd's answers were mostly one or two lines, but in some places he squeezed in a three or four line answer. The subjects of the 27 lessons were: I. Anatomy of Eye II. Mechanism of the Eye Ill. Physiology of Vision IV. Dioptrics of the Eye V. Laws of Light VI. Principles of Optics VII. Institutes of Refraction VIII. Lenses IX. Further Study of Lenses X. Numbering of Lenses XI. Presbyopia - General Principles XII. Presbyopia - Treatment XIII. Hypermetropia- General Principles XIV. Hypermetropia- Treatment XV. Myopia- General Principles XVI. Myopia - Treatment XVII. Astigmatism- General Principles XVIII. Astigmatism - Treatment XIX. Anomalies of Ocular Muscles XX. Treatment of Muscular Anomalies XXI. The Ophthalmoscope XXII. Retinoscopy XXIII. Method of Examination XXIV. The Ophthalmometer XXV. Theoretic Optics XXVI. Asthenopia XXVII. Practical Points To illustrate the level of difficulty of the questions on the examination papers, some of the questions in the lesson on Anomalies of Ocular Muscles were: 451. Name extra ocular muscles that move the eye. 452. What is nerve supply of each of the four recti? 455. What is action of each of the obliques? 460. Why do accomm., conv., and contraction pupil occur together? 461. What is punctum prox. of conv. and how determined? 463. How can the accomm. be lessened or increased? 464. How can convergence be lessened or increased? 468. Upon what does diagnosis paralytic strabismus depend? Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History .... October, 2010, volume 41, number 4, page 117 471. What is predominant cause of strabismus and how does it act? 475. What is the cover test? It appears that the Philadelphia Optical College continued to operate a correspondence course after C.H. Brown's death late in 1933. It was listed among colleges in the Blue Book of Optometrists as late as 1940. The description of the school in the 1936 Blue Book gave its location and stated simply: "Established the correspondence system. Offers Personal Extension Course of Home Study which leads to a valid degree in the Science of Optometry."21 Remarkably, at least as late as 1954 the Philadelphia Optical College was still offering a correspondence course.22 Hofstette~2 expressed concern that it had been sold to "circumstantially gullible" optometrists outside the United States who were not knowledgeable about American educational institutions. Hofstette~2 characterized the 1954 correspondence course as "grossly outmoded" based on the examination papers sent to him by an optometrist in Peru, who had completed the course in 1954. The Peru optometrist sent Hofstetter examination papers for 12 of the 26 lessons. The subject headings for 11 of those 12 lessons were the same as those the course taken by Ernest Dodd in 1914. Hofstette~2 referred to the preface for the examination paper for Numbering of Lenses, which stated: "The transition period in the nomenclature of the numbering of lenses is over, and we note the passing of the old inch system, and the adoption of the newer and better Dioptric System. This adds to the difficulty of the subject, because the optometrist must have knowledge of both systems, and a clear understanding of the method of converting one into the other." This exact statement, as well as some of the same exact examination questions on the inch system, was in the 1914 course taken by Ernest Dodd. Hofstette~2 observed that the transition period to the use of diopters "had occurred at least three quarters of a century before 1954." Hofstette~2 also noted that: "In spite of the abuses attributable to the later owners of the 'chartered' college, it must be said that those who seriously followed through on the lessons and did indeed study Brown's remarkably solid books of the day must have benefited." Books Written by Christian Henry Brown The Optician's Manual. The Opticians Manual was first published by C.H. Brown in 1897. It was a compilation of serial publications in The Keystone begun in May, 1890. In 1899, Supplement to the Optician's Manual appeared. Starting in 1902, The Optician's Manual was sold in two volumes. The preface to the 1902 edition said that it was the fifth edition and that a volume II was serving a "new role as a companion treatise to The Optician's Manual. It is interesting to note that the subtitle for the 1902 edition was A Treatise on the Science and Practice of Optics, whereas by the 1908 edition, the subtitle was A Treatise on the Science and Practice of Optometry, reflecting increasing acceptance of the term optometry in the opening years of the twentieth century. Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History .... October, 2010, volume 41, number 4, page 118 Volume I of the 1908 edition consisted of 11 chapters: (1) Introductory, (2) The Eye Anatomically, (3) The Eye Optically, (4) Principles of Optics, (5) Lenses, (6) Numbering of Lenses, (7) Transposition of Lenses, (8) The Use and Value of Glasses, (9) Outfit Required, (10) Method of Examination, and (11) Presbyopia. According to Chapter IX, the "Outfit Required" included optical education, books of reference, case of test lenses, complete set of test types, measuring stick, record book, ophthalmoscope, retinoscope, prisoptometer or refractometer, ophthalmometer, keratoscope, phorometer, optical bracket (a bracket attached to the wall or chair allowing a test lens holder or phorometer to be placed in front of the patient's eyes), perimeter, ophthalmic cabinet, and lens measure. Concerning the inclusion of reference books, Brown said: "One could easily write a lengthy essay, and present a beautiful argument on the necessity of books to the professional man, that would apply in great measure to the practicing optician, but lack of space forbids, and the truth of this statement will be admitted, universally, without an argument."23 After the eleven chapters, an appendix of symbols and abbreviations, a glossary, and an index brought volume I to a total of 459 pages. Volume II consisted of 405 pages in four chapters: Hypermetropia, Myopia, Astigmatism, and Anomalies of the Ocular Muscles. There was fairly comprehensive treatment of each of these conditions. For example, the chapter on anomalies of the ocular muscles included anatomy and actions of the extraocular muscles, types and diagnosis of strabismus, treatment of strabismus, types and treatment of esophoria, types and treatment of exophoria, use of prisms, hyperphoria, and tests for heterophoria. Optometrist's Manual. In 1921, volumes I and II of The Optician's Manual was re-issued under the title Optometrist's Manual. Changes in the text were minimal. At places in the text where the term optician had formerly appeared, the term optometrist was substituted for this edition. Optometrist's Manual got one nomination from 21 respondents to a survey requesting suggestions for the most important twentieth century optometry books.24 Optician's Record Book. This book for recording patient history, test findings, diagnosis, frame data, and lens prescription was published in the late nineteenth century. There were two facing pages for each patient and sufficient forms for 100 patients. With regard to test findings, there were blanks for visual acuity, near point and far point of accommodation, "muscular insufficiency," astigmatism ("which lines are plainest" according to the brief instructions), refraction, reading lens, and ophthalmoscopy. Clinics in Optometry. This 254 page book was published in 1907. It is composed largely of case reports with corresponding discussion and explanation. It is divided into 36 "clinics" or chapters. Each clinic illustrated a particular condition or demonstrated the importance of a particular test or procedure. Various refractive, binocular vision, and pathological conditions are discussed. The presentation of some cases showed the value of retinoscopy, ophthalmoscopy, ophthalmometry, and the proper adjustment of spectacles. Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History .... October, 2010, volume 41, number 4, page 119 State Board Examinations: Questions and Answers. This book was published in 1919. It contained answers to one thousand questions which were selected from examinations given by state optometry boards. The questions and answers were classified under the headings Theoretic Optics, Practical Optics, Theoretic Optometry, Practical Optometry, Pathological Optometry, Physiological Optics, Anatomy of the Eye, Ophthalmoscopy, Retinoscopy, Physiology of Vision, and Pathological Conditions. In questions where calculations were required, the text usually explained the choice and application of the appropriate formulas. Diagrams were often used. The section on retinoscopy, for example, included questions on the optics of retinoscopy, movement of the "shadow," plane vs. concave mirror retinoscopy, static vs. dynamic retinoscopy, use in prescribing, appearance in astigmatism, scissors movement, brightness and speed of the reflex, and numerical examples. The book was 347 pages in length. Closing Comments Christian Henry Brown was an oculist who played an important role in late nineteenth century and early twentieth century optometry. The optometry textbooks he wrote were detailed and authoritative. The school where he was the primary instructor beginning in 1889, the Philadelphia Optical College, appears to have had a checkered history. Its graduates included some optometrists who held leadership positions. However, it received poor ratings in the mid-1920s when the Committee on Education of the International Board of [optometry] Boards rated optometry schools and it continued to offer correspondence courses for more than a decade after a conference on standards in optometric education recommended that no credit or diplomas be given for correspondence courses. References 1. Who Was Who in America, A Companion Volume to Who's Who in America, vol. 1. Chicago: A.N. Marquis Co., 1942. 2. Information sheets, Christian Henry Brown biographical folder, Alumni Records Collection, University of Pennsylvania Archives. 3. http://www.pa-roots.org/data/read.php?31,478304.Last accessed September 28, 2010. 4. Walk JW. A Sketch of the Members of the Class of 1878 Medical Department of the University of Pa. Read at the decennial Reunion of the Class, Philadelphia, May 1, 1988;5. 5. 1920 United States Federal Census for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 6. Anonymous. Three new members added to the faculty of the Philadelphia Optical College. Opt J Rev Optom 1916;37;1505. 7. Anonymous. Philadelphia alumni give notable banquet- speeches by Dilworth, Moore, Hagerty, Haussmann and others. Opt J Rev Optom 1917;39:1419- 1421. 8. Haussman OG. A tribute to the late Dr. C. H. Brown, pioneer educator in optometry. Opt J Rev Optom 1934;71 (2):30. 9. Hofstetter HW. Optometry: Professional, Economic, and Legal Aspects. St. Louis: Mosby, 1948:296. Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History .... October, 2010, volume 41, number 4, page 120 10. Anonymous. Philadelphia Optical College notes. Opt J 1908;21 :261. 11. Anonymous. Philadelphia Optical College personals. Opt J Rev Optom 1915;35:852. 12. Brown CH. [Scrapbook containing clippings of advertisements and brochures for optometric courses and services, 1890-1931]. Microfilm held by Indiana University Optometry Library. 13. Anonymous. Philadelphia Optical College personals. Opt J Rev Optom 1914;33:1 058. 14. Anonymous. Philadelphia Optical College personals. Opt J Rev Optom 1914;34:117. 15. Anonymous. Philadelphia Optical College notes. Opt J Rev Optom 1914;34:584. 16. Anonymous. Philadelphia Optical College personals. Opt J Rev Optom 1914;34:943. 17. Anonymous. Philadelphia Optical College notes. Opt J Rev Optom 1915;35:1362. 18. Anonymous. School notes- Philadelphia Optical College. Opt J Rev Optom 1916;38:548. 19. Christensen JL. The first conference to establish optometric standards. Optom Vis Sci 1996;73:428-434. 20. Hofstetter HW. Optometry: Professional, Economic, and Legal Aspects. St. Louis: Mosby, 1948:298. 21. Blue Book of Optometrists, 13th ed. Chicago: Professional Press, 1936:32. 22. Hofstetter HW. An early correspondence course. Newsletter Optom Hist Soc 1984;15:33-36. 23. Brown CH. The Optician's Manual: A Treatise on the Science and Practice of Optometry, vol. I. Philadelphia: Keystone, 1908:195. 24. Goss DA, Penisten OK. Most important 20th century optometry books. Hindsight: Newsletter Optom Hist Soc 2004;35:36-40. Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History .... October, 2010, volume 41, number 4, page 121 The First Year- Long Optometric Residency Education Program Irwin Suchoff, O.D., D.O.S. Emeritus Distinguished Service Professor, State University of New York, State College of Optometry, New York, New York; 3201 Chippewa Run, Kennesaw, GA 30152; idrga@aol.com Three institutions were involved in the initiation of the first year-long optometric residency. The Columbia University's optometry program had been in existence since 1910, but admitted its last class in 1953. Its demise was the result of actions by the University's medical faculty and administration, with the support of organized medicine. A small group of optometrists and benefactors were unwilling to let the rich history of optometric education in New York cease. Consequently, they founded the Optometric Center of New York (OCNY) in 1956 as a non-profit health and educational institution. In 1957 Dr. A.N. Haffner was appointed executive director of the OCNY. He was a 1952 graduate of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) and had completed service as an optometric Army officer in 1955. Over the next several years he identified and recruited a number of optometrists who formed the OCNY's clinical staff. The uniqueness was that virtually all of the staff were in full time private practice, with the average time of service at OCNY being one day per week. Some spent the day in the general optometry clinic, while others staffed the emerging specialty clinics, such as: vision therapy, developmental vision, infants' vision, and contact lenses. Suffice it to say that a significant number of optometric leaders came out of the ranks of the OCNY staff. By the time I was appointed in 1964, the OCNY was an established, vibrant entity serving the community with a dedicated and enthusiastic staff. A key action solidified the OCNY's ability to conduct optometric educational programs. The Board approved Dr. Haffner's recommendation to pursue the New York State Board of Regent's granting an Educational Charter for research, clinical care and teaching, and it was awarded in 1959. A number of educational programs soon followed. Several OCNY sponsored symposia were conducted. One of the first was on glaucoma. The presenters were several of the optometric staff, the institution's lone ophthalmologist, in addition to two ophthalmologists who were not staff. This was at a time when diagnostic and therapeutic pharmaceutical agents were wishful dreams for N.Y. optometry. More importantly, several other educational programs were conducted during the 1960s, two of which continued into the next decade. The institution had gained local and national recognition for providing excellent diagnostic and therapeutic care for anomalies of binocular vision and visual information processing. Consequently, an agreement was signed with the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO). It specified that the OCNY would provide an internship of eight weeks during the summer for rising Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History .... October, 2010, volume 41, number 4, page 122 fourth year students. The program was tuition bearing and involved didactic and clinical components. The curriculum stressed vision therapy, but the other clinical services were included. The internship became quite popular, so that a number of other optometric institutions requested that it become available to their students. These particularly included the New England College of Optometry, the Pacific University College of Optometry, the Southern College of Optometry and the Southern California College of Optometry. There was also a gradual increase in the number of students from Belgium who participated in the internship, along with a sprinkling from other European countries. There were two programs that, while related to the internship, were conducted only once. A Federal grant was awarded to the OCNY to prepare exiled Cuban optometrists for licensure in the U.S. There were similar didactic and clinical curricula for a group of recently graduated South African optometrists. All four of this group eventually obtained American 0.0. degrees, and three went on to attain advanced academic degrees. Currently, two are deans at American optometric educational institutions, one is a researcher in visual science, and one has devoted his career to clinical practice in Canada. Over time, many of those who had completed the internship expressed the desire for a more concentrated program in developmental vision. On this basis, a tuition bearing "residency" was established. The clinical and didactic curricula focused on visual perception and visual information processing. This program was open to those optometrists who had previously completed the OCNY's summer internship. In almost all instances, these individuals were those who had just graduated. This program was usually one month longer than the internship. Because of the OCNY's growing reputation as a community eye and vision care facility, and its successful educational programs, when the New York State Legislature created the State University of New York, State College of Optometry (SUNY or the College) in 1971, there was a seasoned clinical and clinically related didactic faculty in place. Thus, it was logical that the OCNY was absorbed as SUNY's clinical arm. I was appointed to the founding faculty at a part time basis, and then came on full time in 1973. In the interim Dr. Haffner designated me as coordinator of both the internship and "residency," in addition to clinical and didactic roles in the professional program. It was a very exciting and energizing time. The battle that Dr. Haffner led to establish the College had elevated the dedicated and enthusiastic OCNY staff to a faculty with various professorial designations. The professional program was being developed and the internship and "residency" programs were running smoothly with an increasing number of applicants each year. Over a period of several years many of those optometrists who completed the "residency" had, on exit interview, said that they would have wanted a more extensive program. I formed an ad hoc faculty committee on the "residency" and, at a meeting in the fall of 1973 raised the question of the feasibility of such an action. There was a unanimous vote to proceed. I informed Dr. Haffner of the recommendation and he was in hearty agreement. He started the process for the University's approval for a year-long residency in vision therapy, and a budget that accounted for four residents' salaries and institutional costs. I began Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History .... October, 2010, volume 41, number 4, page 123 planning the recruitment process and the clinical and didactic curricula with the ad hoc committee. The application process required that candidates supply their academic records, their National Board of Examiners in Optometry scores, and letters of recommendation from appropriate faculty. These were to be examined by a residency committee that voted on the candidate's status. During the early winter of 1974 we sent program announcements to the profession's academic institutions, and I made phone calls to faculty I knew at several of them. The announcement also stated that the "residency" would not be continued, but would be replaced by this year-long program (residency). The response exceeded our expectations. The cut off date for completed applications was in the late winter of 197 4, and the residency committee had more work than was anticipated. About 10 applicants were invited to continue to the selection process, and nine appeared for the clinical oral examination and interview in the early spring. The committee took its responsibility perhaps too seriously; some of the members were unwittingly intimidating to the candidates, all of whom had to travel to New York from various parts of the U.S., and didn't know exactly what to expect. The clinical oral examination and interview sub-committees met to vote on each candidate according to pre-arranged guidelines. The selection process was accomplished in a single day that lasted from early morning until late evening. The young optometrists who were invited and accepted to become the first class of the first year-long residency were: Dr. Stanley Appelbaum from the Illinois College of Optometry Dr. Harvey Estren from the Pacific University College of Optometry Dr. Kenneth Koslowe from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry Dr. Robert Sanet from the Southern California College of Optometry. Each of these exceptional people has been a life long colleague and friend of mine. It is telling of the mindsets of some optometric leaders in 1974: When Dr. Haffner informed his colleagues at the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry of the establishment of the residency, a number of them expressed skepticism about the need for and feasibility of optometric residencies. They felt there were significant and unnecessary risks. The residency has continued uninterrupted since 197 4, and at this writing 138 optometrists have successfully completed the program, with four in the 2010-2011 cycle. The next year-long residency was established at the Kansas City VA facility in 1975. It received accreditation by the then Council on Optometric Education (COE) in 1976, and the SUNY program was accredited in 1977. The impetus for accrediting residencies was at the behest of the VA, once the Kansas City program was established, and more VA optometric residencies were on the planning table. Indeed, the remarkable growth of VA residencies during the 70s and 80s is a story in itself. The College became the affiliate for several VA residencies during this time in addition to a Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History .... October, 2010, volume 41, number 4, page 124 non-VA hospital residency site, and sponsor for several other residencies. As a result I became what is now known as Director of Residency Education Programs, in addition to supervising the vision therapy residency. There was a paucity of residency administrators and I was increasingly asked to serve as consultant to COE teams accrediting residencies and institutions. By the late 1980s the number of the profession's residencies had burgeoned so that the COE made arrangements to add a member with significant residency experience. I was honored to be chosen in 1991, and served the maximum nine years. In essence, the establishment of the vision therapy residency at the College placed me on a wonderful and thoroughly gratifying unique career path as an optometric educator. I was extremely fortunate to be at the right place at the right time. With the exception of several years as dean of the academic program, I served as residency director until my retirement in 2000. Notes and Acknowledgments In most instances I used approximate times and numbers for the precursor programs of the residency. Unfortunately, because the OCNY had moved several times and the College likewise moved to three locations, many important historical documents were lost. I also named only those people whom I feel were primary to the establishment of the residency. There are others, too numerous to name, who nevertheless played vital roles. I wish to acknowledge the contributions of Drs. Haffner and Michael Heiberger for their recall of events leading to this first year-long optometric residency. Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History .... October, 2010, volume 41, number 4, page 125 Recollections of Participation in the First Year-Long Optometric Residency Program Harvey Estren, O.D. Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Optometry Service, 79 Middleville Road, Northport, NY 11768, hestren01 @aol.com It is the summer of 2010, and my residents are starting their one year rotation with me at the Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC). As we order OCT, and HRT, and HVF tests, clinical privileges that are now taken for granted, I smile as I recall my optometric roots. In the winter of 197 4, I was in my fourth year of optometry school at Pacific University. The state of optometry was so very different. There were no DPAs, or TPAs. A single slit lamp was in a room designated as "special testing." Timoptic was not yet known and glaucoma was treated with miotics. Ocular Pathology was a cursory course that consisted of a myriad of items that we were told we really did not need to know. Hard contact lenses according to my beloved contact lens professor, Don West, made patients "blink like a frog in a hailstorm," and soft contact lenses were just an emerging and unknown entity. The majority of my peers were sitting in a dark room parroting which is better# 1 or# 2. Harold Haynes taught the most interesting course in my curriculum on binocular vision. I had the privilege of participating in a newly formed clinic. Bill Ludlam, a transplant to Oregon from the Optometric Center of New York, had started a strabismus clinic at the Pacific University College of Optometry. I was privileged to participate in this clinical event, and saw him straighten out an eye with some simple procedures, and I had my optometric religious experience. Now on a grey day in Oregon, (which could have been any or every day), there was a notice on the bulletin board that referred to New York. As a native New Yorker, I had learned that "back east" in Oregon usually referred to Boise, Idaho, so seeing a blurb from the real "back east" was something that caught my attention. State University of New York (SUNY) State College of Optometry had announced that they were starting a one year residency in vision therapy. This was a monumental step for optometric education, in that prior residencies were post- graduate courses that one enrolled in for a fee. For the first time in history, optometry was following the medical model of one year post graduate education as a salaried position. After applying, and being accepted, I knew my plans to live in Honolulu would be on hold for a year. Four applicants, Kenneth Koslowe from Pennsylvania College of Optometry, Stanley Appelbaum from Illinois College of Optometry, Robert Sanet from Southern Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History .... October, 2010, volume 41, number 4, page 126 California College of Optometry, and myself from Pacific, would be breaking new ground. Irwin Suchoff had just left full time private practice to "relax and unwind" in the world of academia, as he joined the faculty of the newly emerging SUNY State College of Optometry. We were so privileged to have him as our program supervisor. This caring and gifted optometric educator's concept of "relaxing" was to give 150% to this program and to be both mentor and lifelong friend to not only our group but to all who followed in our path. Irwin Suchoff is the father of optometric residency programs. If the crown jewel of optometry in the spring of 197 4 was functional vision care I vision therapy, then New York was the place to experience it. The cluster of gifted vision therapy practitioners was exhilarating. SUNY State College of Optometry's clinical arm was the Optometric Center of New York. This talent pool gave and shared with colleagues and students, and ultimately with the new emerging residents, out of a love of what they did. We worked intimately with giants in the field of vision training. Some of the many included Irwin Suchoff, Arnold Sherman, Martin Birnbaum, Ira Bernstein, Nat Flax, AI Rappaport, Myron Weinstein, Alan Cohen, Israel Greenwald, and Carl Gruning. They represented national prominence with a local address. On a national level, I had the privilege of meeting A.M. Skeffington in his twilight years and interacting both clinically and socially with Bob Kraskin, Gerry Getman, and Don Getz. These interactions were priceless. We rotated through a one of a kind Infants Vision Clinic, under the expert guidance of two giants of developmental vision, Elliott Forrest and David FitzGerald. Friday afternoons were special in that we were treated to weekly seminars on timely topics of functional vision. More often than not, lively discussion continued past working hours at the local watering hole and sometimes continued long into the night. We had the opportunity to visit the offices of the private practitioners with whom we interacted at SUNY. We saw first hand that those who teach were also successful in the private sector. The bar was set high in that achievements such as Fellowship in the American Academy of Optometry and the College of Optometrists in Vision Development were not lofty goals but a natural progression of professional development. When interviewed for both of these organizations, I sensed that my short but enriched experience might have been nearly equal to that of the examiner. My residency ultimately allowed me to partner with a former president of the New York State Optometric Association in professional practice. Opportunities were evolving in Federal service at the Veterans Administration, and Alan Cohen invited me to join his newly emerging optometry service at the Northport VAMC. How would functional vision care, orthoptic therapy, and rehabilitative optometry mesh with the established classical medical model of eye health care? Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History .... October, 2010, volume 41, number 4, page 127 I have the privilege of starting my 36th year of private practice, my 36th continuous year involved in optometric education, and my 30th year of Federal service as a part time member of the medical staff, where I supervise two orthoptic clinics, and teach a 26 hour didactic graduate level course in orthoptic therapy, to our residents in rehabilitative optometry. Rotating professional students visit with us every quarter, from both SUNY and New England College of Optometry. I returned to my native New York with no professional support group. My residency evolved into 36 consecutive years as an optometric educator, and as a private practitioner in professional practice. Looking back, there was nothing more dramatic in shaping my professional career than participating in the first residency program. I wish to express my deep affection and gratitude to Irwin B. Suchoff, and Alan Cohen, my mentors and my life-long friends. In addition, I wish to extend a heartfelt thank you to Norman Haffner, the first president of SUNY State College of Optometry. It was through his guidance that I pursued a career in optometry. In addition, it was through both his vision and his dogmatic determination that the framework for my professional career was formulated, first through the creation of the Optometric Center of New York, then through the creation of the SUNY State College of Optometry, and finally through the creation of the first optometric residency program in the country. Hundreds and hundreds of optometric residents, most of whom do not know or share our history, are indebted to Dr. Haffner. I start my 36th year with the same enthusiasm in functional vision, clinical teaching and patient care, that I had that very first day of my residency program. My only regret is that I never made it back to Honolulu. Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History .... October, 2010, volume 41, number 4, page 128 One Hundred Years Ago: Start of the Optometry School at Columbia University David A. Goss, O.D., Ph.D. School of Optometry, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, dgoss@indiana.edu, dgoss@indiana.edu Abstract An optometry school at Columbia University entered its first students in 1910. This was the first optometry school at a university. This article examines what was said in optometry periodicals of 1910 and 1911 about this significant development. Key words: optometric education, optometry history, optometry schools. The state of New York passed its first optometry licensure law in 1908.1•2 The law stated that applicants to the board should have graduated from an optometry school that maintained satisfactory standards.3 It appears that those standards were mandated by the New York Department of Education.3 The standards established were two academic years in the study of trigonometry, physics, theoretic and physiological optics, anatomy and physiology of the eye, practical optics, theoretic and practical optometry, and pathological conditions of the eye.3 With these requirements and the closing of the New York Institute of Optometry, a two year optometry school, there was the recognition of the need for an optometry school at a university.4 The Rochester School of Optometry was operating at this time, but apparently it was thought that its efforts would not be sufficient. In the spring of 1910, it was announced that optometry courses would be started at Columbia University in September of that year.5 This was a significant step in the history of optometry, as this was the first time that an optometry school was to be conducted at a university. Curriculum and instruction was placed in the hands of the Columbia University Department of Physics, and its administration was under the control of the Extension Teaching Department.6 Admissions requirements were the completion of at least two years of high school and being at least nineteen years of age. Students who had finished high school and who completed the full two years of optometry school were to receive a certificate from the Columbia University Board of Extension Teaching.5 The tuition was $5 per point, a point being one hour of class or lecture per week or two hours of laboratory per week in a semester. This resulted in tuition of $75 for the first term of the first year and $85 for the second term of the first year.5 The courses in the initial curriculum were as follows: Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History .... October, 2010, volume 41, number 4, page 129 First year, first term: plane trigonometry, general physics, theoretic optics, physiologic optics, anatomy and physiology of the eye. First year, second term: general physics, theoretic optics, practical optics, physiologic optics, theoretic optometry. Second year, first term: theoretic optics, physiologic optics, practical optics, theoretic optometry, pathologic conditions of the eye, practical optometry. Second year, second term: theoretic optics, physiologic optics, practical optics, theoretic optometry, practical optometry. 5·7 Optometrists taught courses in theoretic and practical optometry (Andrew Jay Cross, with some lectures in theoretic optometry by Charles Prentice) and in practical optics (Frederick Woll). Courses in theoretic optics were taught by Assistant in Physics W.W. Stifler. Physiologic optics was taught by Professor of Physics William Hallock.7 Hallock was head of the Department of Physics at Columbia.5 Louis R. Welzmiller, M.D., was the instructor for the course in pathological conditions of the eye.7 Textbooks for theoretic optometry included Principles of Refraction in the Human Eye, by Burnett; System of Ocular Skiametry, by Cross; Ophthalmic Lenses, by Prentice; and The Refractive and Motor Mechanism of the Eye, by Souter.7 When Columbia University first announced the optometry program, it stipulated that the courses would be offered only if a minimum of twelve students enrolled. 8 There were 21 students taking the course in the fall of 1910. They were from the following states: New York, 1 0; New Jersey, 2; Ohio, 2; Pennsylvania, 2; Indiana, 1; Massachusetts, 1; Michigan, 1; Missouri, 1; not given, 1.9 There was at least one female student, because the name of the secretary of the student organization was listed in The Optical Journal and Review of Optometry as Mrs. Rove J. Crystal.9 During the first year, the first term was to run from September 28, 1910 to February 7, 1911, and the second term from February 8, 1911 to May 20, 1911. A loan of practical optics equipment from the Standard Optical Company of Geneva, New York was announced before the first classes began.5 Donations of apparatus were made by F.A. Hardy & Co., the Optical Society of the State of New York, the Optometric Society of Central New York; the Optometric Society of City of Buffalo; the O~tometric Society of City of Rochester, and the Optometric Society of City of New York. 1 An appreciative letter from the students in the first optometry class addressed to A.J. Cross, C. F. Prentice, and W.H. Hallock was published in The Optical Journal and Review of Optometry in December of 1910. It stated: "The members constituting the first class in optometry in the history of Columbia University organized as the Columbia University Optometry Association beg to extend their thanks and grateful appreciation for the invaluable services you have rendered in behalf of the profession; for your indefatigable efforts and final success in having secured for optometry State legislation; for your influence with Columbia University in having that institution establish a course in optometry; for the inestimable assistance and advice you have tendered the organization as a body and to the members individually; for the deep and almost Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History .... October, 2010, volume 41, number 4, page 130 personal interest you manifest toward us at all times; we beg to remain, with our united wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year."11 In 1911, The Optical Journal and Review of Optometry announced that A.J. Cross began his lectures in the theoretic optometry class on February 9. Also in attendance was Charles Prentice. Cross started his lecture with a review of some important steps in the history of optics. He included the scientific contributions of Prentice and Prentice's efforts for the legal recognition of optometry. Prentice in turn praised Cross for his work on dynamic retinoscopy and emphasized that it would assume greater significance in the future practice of optometry.12 In April of 1911, the president of the optometry student organization at Columbia, Harold W. Eames, wrote a letter to The Optical Journal and Review of Optometry. 13 He stated: "Next September Columbia University's Optometry Course will begin its second year. Knowing the interest manifested in the course throughout the country, a word from the students' point of view may be opportune. "The students themselves realize now what opposition was experienced in placing optometry in its proper department, that of physics, rather than in the Department of Medicine, and also what a tremendous opportunity this course presents. "Here, instead of looking up answers to questions in text-books for three or six months, thereby receiving several elaborate diplomas calculated to impress the public eye, the student is given a thorough course in all subjects which relate to the eye and its dioptric functions .... "The question is asked, 'Why take two years when a three months' course is good enough?' There is just the point. Is it 'good enough?' "Glance back over the past few years and note the strides which optometry has made. The fact that 25 States now have optometry laws proves that a higher degree of proficiency is demanded than could be vouchsafed by the three months' course .... "In realizing that a university course of instruction is necessary, the public will soon have a higher regard for the optometrist and will naturally give him the preference over oculists in the examination of eyes for glasses .... "13 There were 21 new students which entered the optometry program at Columbia in the fall of 1911. Those students were from: New York, 11; Massachusetts, 4; Colorado, 1; Michigan, 1; New Jersey, 1; North Carolina, 1; Rhode Island, 1; and England, 1.14 Comments The founding of the optometry program at Columbia University in 1910 was a significant step for optometry. A 1910 editorial in The Optical Journal and Review of Optometry Said: "Now that Columbia University is to give a course in optometry, Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History .... October, 2010, volume 41, number 4, page 131 optometrists of those States which are not near to the site of this institution are discussin~ the need of getting the universities of their localities to put in a similar course."1 The next university to start an optometry school was The Ohio State University (1914). 16 The optometry school at Columbia University continued to operate for over four decades. Among 12,534 practicing optometrists surveyed in 1944 by the American Optometric Association, 524 were graduates of Columbia University, the fifth highest number of graduates among optometry schools. 17 References 1. Arrington EE. History of Optometry. Chicago: White Printing House, 1929:27. 2. Hofstetter HW. Optometry: Professional, Economic, and Legal Aspects. St. Louis: Mosby, 1948:39. 3. Cross AJ. Higher education in optometry- a plea for appreciation and co­ operation. Optical J 1909;25:82-85. 4. Ryer EL. Some of the effects of the N.Y. optometry law. Optical J 191 0;25:256-260. 5. Prentice CF. Optometry in Columbia University, New York. Optical J 1910;25:857-861. 6. Southall JPC. Courses in optics and optometry in Columbia University. J Opt Soc Am 1921;5:184-192. 7. Anonymous. Columbia University issues prospectus of optometry course. Optical J Rev Optom 1911 ;28:327-328. 8. Anonymous. Columbia opens doors to optometrists. Optical J Rev Optom 191 0;26:69. 9. Anonymous. Class of optometry students at Columbia University organize an association and elect officers. Optical J Rev Optom 191 0;26: 1229. 10. Anonymous. Columbia optometry class well outfitted. Optical J Rev Optom 1911 ;28:982. 11. Crystal RJ. Optometry class at Columbia University express appreciation of the course. Optical J Rev Optom 1911;26:1589. 12. Anonymous. Lectures in theoretic optometry begun at Columbia University by Prof. A. Jay Cross. Optical J Rev Optom 1911 ;27:478. 13. Eames HW. Columbia students on work of first year in the optometry course. Optical J Rev Optom 1911 ;27:929. 14. Anonymous. Names of members of the new class at Columbia University. Optical J Rev Optom 1911 ;28:87 4. 15. Anonymous. Optometry courses in universities. Optical J Rev Optom 191 0;26:517. 16. Hofstetter HW. Optometry: Professional, Economic, and Legal Aspects. St. Louis: Mosby, 1948:310. 17. Hofstetter HW. Optometry: Professional, Economic, and Legal Aspects. St. Louis: Mosby, 1948:296. Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History .... October, 2010, volume 41, number 4, page 132 OHS News Optometric Historical Society Affiliated with Optometric Cares- the AOA Foundation 243 North Lindbergh Blvd. St. Louis, MO 34231 Tel: 800/365 2219 ext. 4138 DATE: October 5, 201 0 TO: Members of the Optometric Historical Society FROM: Irving Bennett, O.D., FAAO, President This is the annual "report" on our small, but visible and viable, group of people and institutions that want to keep optometric history from fading into oblivion. We have been successful for the past 41 years and there is no reason why we cannot continue to do so. There have been some changes, however: REMINISCE-IN AT ACADEMY MEETING: Last November we revived the Reminisce­ IN meeting that was started decades ago. It was a big success -the room was full of interested listeners and it was necessary to interrupt the lecture twice to bring in more chairs. We shall be doing another Reminisce-IN on Friday, November 19th in San Francisco at the American Academy of Optometry's Annual Meeting. The speaker will be Dr. Alden N. Haffner, former President of the SUNY College of Optometry and currently a member of the OHS Board of directors. His topic will be both exciting and stimulating: "The Ups and Downs of Optometry's Relationship with Organized Medicine and Organized Ophthalmology." The Reminisce-IN will start at 10 AM in the Telegraph Hill Room in the Intercontinental Hotel. Guests are welcome. RELATIONSHIP WITH OPTOMETRY CARES: Last year I reported that we were "negotiating" with the AOA foundation to take our organization under its umbrella. A "Memorandum of Understanding" was signed and for the past year we have been part of Optometry Cares -the AOA Foundation. The Administrative Director of that Foundation is Ms. Shannon Torbett and she can be reached at the address and phone number on this letterhead. This foundation is in charge of the Archives and Museum of Optometry, so our group is a natural fit. HINDSIGHT AND HISTORICAL GEMS: We are in our 41st year of publishing the quarterly periodical. HINDSIGHT. It is edited by David Goss, OD, PhD of the Indiana University School of Optometry, where Dr. Goss serves as a member of the fac~lty. The e-mail Historical Gem series is edited by Irving Bennett, OD, the OHS President, and is distributed to all those on the e-mail mailing list of the American Optometric Association. Both publications of OHS are well received. Your comments on them and contributions for them are solicited. Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History .... October, 2010, volume 41, number 4, page 133 TRANSFUSION NEEDED: That may be a little harsh of a headline because OHS is surely not on life support. It is only fair to say that the founders of the Society never dreamt it would be a large organization in number of members. We continue to attract those interested in history, particularly history of optometry, optics and the optical and ophthalmic field. We respectfully ask that you encourage those you know who are optometric history buffs to join, particularly those who are still in practice or still working. Please write to me with your suggestions at irvbennett23@gmail.com. ANOTHER REMINISCE-IN AT AOA: Several members have suggested that we have a Reminisce-IN at Optometry's Meeting, the annual meeting of the American Optometric Association. The attendance at AOA and Academy meetings is quite different so we are taking this suggestion seriously and working with the proper leaders to schedule a Reminisce-IN at the meeting in Salt Lake City, June 2011. Best personal regards. Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History .... October, 2010, volume 41, number 4, page 134 Optometric Historical Society Membership Application Membership in the Optometric Historical Society (OHS) is open to anyone interested in the history of optometry, spectacles, vision science, or related topics. Membership includes a subscription to Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History. To join OHS, send your address and a check for dues payment to: Shannon Reynolds Torbett, MHP c/o Optometric Historical Society 243 North Lindbergh Boulevard, Floor 1 St. Louis, MO 63141 Check one: __ regular membership, $25 per year __ patron membership, $50 per year __ lifetime membership, $250 Checks should be made payable to the Optometric Historical Society. Name ----------------------------------------------------------- Address ______________________________________________________ _ A sample copy of Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History can be obtained by writing to the journal editor: David A. Goss, Hindsight Editor, School of Optometry, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405; dgoss@indiana.edu or can be viewed at www.opt.indiana.edu/ohs/hindsightJan07.pdf. Institutional or library subscriptions to Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History can be obtained by following the above instructions for registering OHS membership and completing the above OHS membership application form. The Board of Directors of Optometry's Cares- The AOA Foundation and the Optometric Historical Society (OHS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding that places OHS under the auspices of The AOA Foundation. For more information about The AOA Foundation and the Optometric Historical Society, please visit www.optometryscharity.org and www.opt.indiana.edu/ohs/optohiso.html Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History .... October, 2010, volume 41, number 4, page 135 NOV J 5 2010 Instructions to Authors Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History is the official publication of the Optometric Historical Society (OHS), and, as such, supports and complements the purposes and functions of OHS. The journal publishes historical research, articles, reports, book reviews, letters to the editor, and article reviews. The topics of material published in the journal include: history of optometry; history of eye and vision care; history of spectacles, contact lenses, and other corrective devices; history of vision therapy, low vision care, and other vision care modalities; history of vision science; biographical sketches of persons who have worked in or influenced optometry and/or vision science; recollections or oral histories of optometrists and persons who have worked in optometry and optometry-related fields; and related topics. Material submitted for publication should be sent to the editor: David A. Goss, School of Optometry, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405; dgoss@indiana.edu. Material may be submitted by postal service or by email, although the preferred mode of reception of submissions is a Word document in an email attachment. Authors who wish to use direct quotations of substantial length, tables, figures, or illustrations from copyrighted material must obtain written permission from the publisher or copyright owner. Short quotations may be acknowledged by quotation marks and a reference citation. Submissions should include a title, the names, degrees, postal addresses, and email addresses of the authors. Abstracts are not recommended for short articles. Abstracts and key words are recommended but not necessary for longer articles. Tables and figures should be numbered sequentially in the order that the mention of them appears in the text, e.g., Table 1, Table 2, Figure 1, Figure 2. Each table and figure should have mention or discussion of it in the text of the article. Each table and figure should be accompanied by an explanatory figure legend or table legend. Any article containing tables should be submitted as a Word document attachment to an email message with the tables produced through the table creating function of Word (as opposed to an Excel or comparable spreadsheet). Extensive use of uncommon abbreviations, symbols, and acronyms is discouraged. Common abbreviations, such as D for diopters or em for centimeters, may be used. Common symbols, such as 11 for prism diopters, may be used when the context for their use is clear. The first use of acronyms should be accompanied by the name or phrase spelled out followed by the acronym in parentheses, as for example: The Optometric Historical Society (OHS) has produced a quarterly publication since 1970. Acknowledgments should be placed between the text of the article and the reference section. Sources of support, such as grant funding or other significant assistance, should be acknowledged. The assistance of persons who contributed to the work may also be acknowledged. References should be placed after the acknowledgments, and for most papers will be the last section of the paper. References should be numbered in order of their citation in the body of the article. Citations should be identified in the text by superscript numbers. Authors are responsible for ensuring that reference listings are correct. Reference format should be as follows: Journal articles: Calvo M, Enoch JM. Early use of corrective lenses in Spanish colonies of the Americas including parts of the future United States: reference to Viceroy Luis de Velasco (the son). Optom Vis Sci 2003;80:681-689. Section in a single author book: Hofstetter HW. Optometry: Professional, Economic, and Legal Aspects. St. Louis: Mosby, 1948:17-35. Chapter in a multi-author volume: Penisten DK. Eyes and vision in North American Indiana cultures: An historical perspective on traditional medicine and mythology. In: Goss DA, Edmondson LL, eds. Eye and Vision Conditions in the American Indian. Yukon, OK; Pueblo Publishing, 1990:186-190. Citations to articles in Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History should be given as follows: Bennett I. The story behind Optometric Management magazine. Hindsight: J Optom Hist 2007;38:17-22. If footnotes or notes on additional (minor) details are used, they should be marked in the text with superscript lower case letters starting with a and continuing in alphabetical order. The notes themselves should be the last section of the paper. The heading for the section should be Notes. Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History .... 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