Lectures on the operations of surgery : and on diseases and accidents requiring operations / by Robert Liston ; with numerous additions by Thomas D. Mütter.

  • Robert Liston
Date:
1846
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Lectures on the operations of surgery : and on diseases and accidents requiring operations / by Robert Liston ; with numerous additions by Thomas D. Mütter. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    palpebral orifice is too small, in consequence of which the patient can scarcely see. Mr. Liston alludes to the deformity, and I have seen it myself. Generally speaking it is readily relieved by di- viding the adhesions in the proper direction, and then carefully guarding against reunion by daily moving the parts or passing a blunt probe between the edges. ANCHYLO-BLEPHARON. By this we mean adhesion of the tarsal margins of the lids. It is usually the result of inflammation or ulceration, but occasionally it is met with as a congenital defect. Indeed, Meckel, Von Am- nion, Himly and others, contend that such is the natural condition of the foetal eye up to a certain period, just as we see that it is in many of the lower orders of animals. A simple arrestation of de- velopment, therefore, would be sufficient to produce the difficulty. By some the closure is supposed to be the result of simple mucous adhesion, by others, of membranous union. The treatment is simi- lar to that employed in phimosis palpebrarum. SYMBLEPHARON. When from some inflammatory affection of the conjunctiva, ul- cerations, or effusions of coagulable lymph in large quantities occur, adhesions between the lids and the globe of the eye may be occa- sioned. It is by no means a rare complaint, and unfortunately very little can be accomplished towards its relief. When partial in the shape of membranous bands passing from the lid to the ball, a cure may sometimes be established by their division and the daily intro- duction of a probe between the raw surfaces so as to prevent re- union. But when the adhesions are extensive, I have invariably failed in accomplishing my object, for in spite of all my care the raw surfaces would coalesce and reproduce the defect. There is also another objection to any attempt at an operation here, viz., the loss of the eye, for in nine cases out of ten the injury has occasioned loss of vision, so that even when most successful, the sole benefit resulting is the removal of slight deformity. The introduction of an artificial eye after cicatrization of the wound will improve the appearance of the patient very much.—T. D. M.] STRABISMUS. You may expect that I should say something about the operation for squinting, about which so much noise has been made of late.
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