BOOK NOTICES 757

BOOK NOTICES Rontgendiagnostik des Schadels bei

Erkrankungen des Auges und seiner Nachbarorgane (X-ray diag­nosis of the skull in diseases of the eyes and their neighboring or­gans). By Dr. Rudolph Thiel. One volume of illustrations, 153 pages, and one volume of text, 87 pages, 415 ills. Price 48 R M ; bound, 54 RM. Published by Julius Springer, Berlin, 1932.

This work consists in extraordinarily clear x-ray pictures of a great variety of ocular conditions. In every case there is a diagram illustrating the important features of the plates. In many cases there are also photographs of the pa­tient or of the pathological specimen. There are also visual fields and fundus drawings where these are appropriate. The division of subjects is as follows:

(1) Technic of taking x-rays of skull; (2) The orbit. This is divided into nu­merous parts such as congenital mal­formations, tumors, fractures, foreign bodies and others; (3) The nasal sin­uses ; (4) Changes in the shape of the middle skull cavity; (5) Changes in the skull on account of chronic alterations due to brain pressure; (6) Teeth; (7) Tear passages.

The accompanying text in a separate volume gives a complete description of each of the cases illustrated.

This work covers the x-ray relation­ship to eyes and eye diseases in a very complete and lucid manner. It may well serve as a textbook on this subject and should be in every ophthalmic library.

Lawrence T. Post.

Biomicroscopie du Corps Vitre. (Bio-microscopy of the vitreous body.) By F. Koby. Paper covers, 15 fig­ures and 20 plates in black and white and in color. Masson et Cie, Paris. 1932.

This is an excellent monograph on the vitreous body as seen with the slit-lamp. The first chapter is a historical sketch of this study.

Chapter two is devoted to the normal

vitreous; chapter three to the posterior capsule ; chapter four to vitreous opaci­ties; chapter five to noninflammatory alterations of the vitreous, myopia and old age; chapter six to traumatic le­sions of the vitreous; chapter seven to pathological alterations of the vitre­ous.

The illustrations are very clear, tend­ing to be diagrammatic, which is per­missible in a textbook. The colors also seem somewhat exaggerated in their intensity and definition. This serves the purpose of bringing out clearly the points in question and if it is under­stood that they do not represent the picture exactly as it will appear to the observer, there is no disadvantage in this method of illustrating.

The subject is clearly and adequately covered. The book makes a valuable addition to the rapidly accumulating literature on slitlamp microscopy.

Lawrence T. Post.

Praktische Fragen aus dem Gebiete des Augenzitterns der Bergleute. (Practical questions on miner's nystagmus.) By Dr. J. Ohm. Sixty-three pages, 42 illustrations. Julius Springer, Berlin, 1932.

After studying this subject for twen­ty-three years in a large number of pa­tients, Ohm discusses some practical questions in connection with it, desir­ing on the one hand to define what does and what does not, pertain to the af­fection, per se, and on the other to clear away the erroneous conceptions which conceal the significance of the disease for its victim. He remains neutral with regard to a law of industrial compensa­tion because of the multiplicity of view­points that must be considered in deal­ing with the subject, but seeks, should such a law be contemplated, to lay down a useful medical basis for it. In England this law is so broad that a host of physi­cal ills are included in it that are pres­ent in a number of other diseases of a more general type, and that are, more­over, easily simulated. He holds that there are but three cardinal factors in miner's nystagmus; namely, ocular os-

758 CORRESPONDENCE

dilation, trembling or twitching of the eyelids, and of the head. Of these the first named is by far the most frequent and significant for the patient.

Ohm computes the incidence of the disease from his office records at about 11 percent, which closely approximates the value given by Bartels from obser­vations made at the pit.

The cause of the affection he regards as twofold: external conditions (work­ing conditions) and internal (bodily) conditions. In the former, illumination, the direction of gaze, movements of the head and deviation from the upright position must be considered. Internal conditions disclose a familial tendency, the peculiarity of function of certain or­gans and other physical causes.

He has a constructive program of pre­vention. E. S. Buss.

CORRESPONDENCE Deutsche Ophthalmologische

Gesellschaft LEIPZIG

Of all the various subjects presented before the congress held in Leipzig in May, 1932, the greatest interest ob­viously centered in the group dealing directly or indirectly with the subject of detachment of the retina.

While everyone agreed that the aim of all treatment should be to close the hole in the retina, or at least wall off the area containing the retinal tear, all were not willing to state definitely that the presence of the tear in the retina caused the detachment, though Lind­ner in his very interesting and instruc­tive demonstration of how a detach­ment resulted from a hole or tear seemed definitely committed to this theory.

Another point on which all agreed was that the position of the hole or holes should be localized as accurately as possible. Though elaborate instru­ments such as Guist's were not insisted upon, no one was satisfied with the simple estimation of distance from the ora serrata by measurement in disc­diameters. Several simple methods and instruments to aid more exact localiza­tion were shown.

There were two definitely different points of view as to what the operation should do. According to one, the opera­tor should endeavor to strike the hole accurately, and by creating a small lo­cal area of chorioidal inflammation seal the tear, and thus heal the detachment. According to the other point of view, one should close the hole if possible. but should also create a solid area of chorioiditic inflammation around the region of the hole, which would effec­tively wall off the diseased part of the retina from the rest of the fundus.

Another, and the most interesting ob­servation made, was that in the treat­ment of detachment of the retina there was a definite movement away from the original operative technic of Gonin. All of the authors who spoke on operative methods had abandoned the cautery puncture. Some felt that the actual cau­tery seemed to cause too widespread damage to the chorioid and retina, re­sulting in a large scar with the possi­bility of contraction and subsequent ap­pearance of new tears and detachments while others felt that the new methods enabled one to gauge more accurately the resulting inflammation.

The substitute operations were defi­nitely divided into two types. The first was represented by the original Guist-Lindner operation, in which as is well known, a series of trephine openings is made in the sclera, perforating- to, but not through the chorioid, and surround­ing the site of the hole in the retina. The chorioid is then chemically "cau­terized" by being touched with a pencil of potassium hydroxide. Lindner has introduced a modification, which he calls the "undermining method". He makes fewer holes, but unites them by undermining the chorioid between the openings with a spatula, as in a cyclo-dialysis, and then injects 0.01 cc. of a 3 percent potassium hydroxide solution into each area. Both these methods aim at walling off the affected area. Guist, reporting on the results in 109 opera­tions done according to his original technique, reported fifty-six percent of all cases cured.

The other speakers brought up the second type of operation, which con-