[Transactions of the American Ophthalmological Society] ; Transactions of the American Otological Society : second annual meeting, Newport, R.I., July, 1869.
- American Ophthalmological Society
- Date:
- [1869]
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: [Transactions of the American Ophthalmological Society] ; Transactions of the American Otological Society : second annual meeting, Newport, R.I., July, 1869. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.
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![and was only recalled to mind on a return of tlie trouble in tlie next November, when I noticed in both ears the same slight serous discharge, with prickling, itching and occasional slight pain and feeling of fullness in the ears. The hearing was found by the watch to be somewhat impaired. Dr. E. H. Clarke, who kindly examined them, reported that each meatus showed patches of deep congestion and small white masses? which were pronounced from their appearance epidermis. A mild astringent instillation and syringing was used for a few days, when, not obtaining relief, I examined microscopically some of the small white flakes, which in gross appearance re- sembled epidermis, and found the parasite. An instillation of acid carbolic, gtt. v. ad 3ij., was then substituted, and tlie cars syringed daily for a week; but each syringing continued to ])ring away flakes of the parasite, and I changed to a solution of carbonate of soda, without, however, checking the growth. Every day small flakes would be syringed out, and the micro- scope sliowcd that they contained great numbers of the fructify- ing lieads of the aspergillus in early stages of development. A solution of calcaria hypochlorosa, gr. ij. ad Sj., was then used, as recommended by Wreden,and the daily syringing continued. Tlie sporangia became gradually less numerous, of a smaller size and earlier stage of development, and the epidermal cells mixed with them increased in number. After some six weeks of treatment the syringe ceased to bring away any thing, and the ears became normal in feeling and function, and have so remained. It would be presumptuous to draw any general conclusions in regard to treatment from these two cases; but in my own case I am inclined to ascribe much more to the continued syringing than to the medicaments used. After their use the changes in the mycelium and sporangium described by Wreden certainly were not apparent, so that the only effect they could have had was to loosen the masses from the meatus, and the force of the syringe seems much more likely to have done this. The subjective effect of the instillations was various: the carbolic acid solution was irritating, producing a feeling of vv^armth in the ear which in a few minutes increased to smart-](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b22449784_0110.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
