Sir Hans Sloane's contributions to ocular therapy, scientific journalism, and the creation of the British Museum.

Sir Hans Sloane, MD, (1660-1753) is best known today for his collections of books, manuscripts, and curiosities, which formed the nucleus of the British Museum at its creation the year he died. Sloane wrote about the eye from the level of knowledge of the most informed physicians of his day. He was a long-term editor of the first scientific journal published in English and was instrumental in establishing the type of scientific literature we depend on today. Arch Ophthalmol. 2000;118:1567-1573

Sesquicentennial of the ophthalmoscope.

The year 2000 coincides with the 150th anniversary of the invention of the ophthalmoscope. In 1850, Hermann von Helmholtz (1821-1894) inaugurated the modern era in ophthalmology with his magnificent instrument, which has done more to revolutionize the development of ophthalmology than any other invention or discovery. Before Helmholtz's invention, it was not possible to visualize the posterior pole of the eye in a living subject. The ophthalmoscope permitted the clinical correlation of signs and symptoms with findings in the retina, vitreous, and optic nerve. The ophthalmoscope became the model for all forms of endoscopy that followed. It is often compared in importance with 2 earlier inventions, the telescope (17th century) and the stethoscope (early 19th century). All of these instruments made dramatic new information available to the human mind.

What ailed Goya?

At age 46, Francisco de Goya (1746-1828) suffered from a severe illness that lasted several months. It caused loss of vision and hearing, tinnitus, disorientation, weakness, abdominal distress, and general malaise. After a few months he recuperated but was left deaf forever. In addition to the physical effects, his emotional health and artwork were affected. The precise cause of this illness has long been debated. One early, but unlikely, hypothesis was that he had syphilis. Later conjectures have included Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease and lead toxicity. Cogan's syndrome and vasculitis are additional possibilities, although neither is likely to have been Goya's diagnosis. An infectious disease such as meningitis, encephalitis, or malaria is far more likely. Quinine toxicity (cinchonism) may have complicated the illness.

In the kingdom of the Shah: Treacher Collins' Persian adventure.

Early in his career, the British ophthalmologist Edward Treacher Collins (1862-1932) was asked to travel to Persia to evaluate the ocular problems of the Shah's eldest son. On the evening of his wedding, Collins and his bride left England to go on this great adventure. Collins was able to provide expert care to the Persian royal family and to many commoners. The success of this Persian tour helped Collins reach the highest level of British ophthalmology.

Argyll Robertson: 'twas better to be his pupil than to have his pupil.

The Scottish ophthalmologist Douglas Argyll Robertson (1837-1909) is best known for his description of the syphilitic pupil. He also made important contributions concerning the ocular effects of physostigmine and to filtration surgery for glaucoma. Outside of his medical practice, he was club champion at the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, St. Andrews, and the Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers many times. He was a champion archer of the Royal Company of Archers, the Queen's Bodyguard in Scotland. Robertson was honored as surgeon-oculist in Scotland to Queen Victoria and to King Edward VII.

Albert Einstein and his mentor Max Talmey. The seventh Charles B. Snyder Lecture.

While he was a student at the Munich medical school, Max Talmey strongly influenced the education of Albert Einstein. Their association occurred during five years of Einstein's second decade. They lost contact for many years after each left Munich. Talmey emigrated to the United States and practiced medicine, mainly ophthalmology, in New York City. He made significant contributions to medicine, to the popularization of Einstein's work, and to the development of international languages. The relationship of Talmey and Einstein was rekindled when Einstein visited and later moved to the United States.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: the author was an ophthalmologist.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created the famous detective Sherlock Holmes, and his faithful companion, Dr. Watson. A graduate of the University of Edinburgh Medical School, Doyle (1859-1930) spent nearly ten years practicing medicine. During his years in general practice, Doyle gave particular attention to the eye. Later, he studied ophthalmology in Vienna and spent time with the best known ophthalmologist in Paris. He returned to London and established an ophthalmological office near Harley Street. His literary career soon overtook the medical career, but he made many references to medicine, and to ophthalmology in particular in his writings.

An artist with a color vision defect: Charles Meryon.

Charles Meryon, an important artist of the 19th century, had a congenital defect in color vision. Meryon recognized this defect during his study of art, and he gradually gave up painting in favor of etching. This biographical article includes reproductions of some of Meryon's etchings and one oil painting. "Ghost Ship." Two palates display the principal colors of the spectrum, as seen normally and as seen with a color vision defect. "Ghost Ship" reveals the color-defective artist's typical preference for blue and yellow.

Eye disease among the impressionists: Monet, Cassatt, Degas, and Pissarro.

1. Many of the most famous artists working in France late in the 19th century suffered serious eye diseases. 2. The case reports of Monet, Cassatt, Degas, and Pissarro are interesting because of the light they shed on important artists and their methods of dealing with adversity. 3. These case reports also can be useful in consoling patients who have similar problems today.

Degas' loss of vision: evidence for a diagnosis of retinal disease.

The Impressionist artist Degas suffered severely from loss of vision. He described this many times in his letters. His correspondence and his notebooks mention three ophthalmologists. Degas' words and those of acquaintances, as well as his artistic works, reveal important information about his vision, which allows us to draw conclusions about the cause of his problem.

Queen Victoria, her physicians, and her cataracts.

Decreasing vision due to cataracts became a significant problem for Queen Victoria toward the end of the 19th century. Her personal physician, Sir James Reid, obtained consultations with two eminent British ophthalmologists, George Lawson and Edward Nettleship. The Queen was not satisfied, and requested an opinion from the German professor Hermann Pagenstecher. All the doctors agreed on the diagnosis, but the Queen never underwent surgery.

Pissarro, dacryocystitis, and the development of modern lacrimal surgery.

The co-founder of French Impressionism, Camille Pissarro, suffered from chronic dacryocystitis for at least fifteen years. This kept him from working for long periods of time, and when he was able to work, influenced his method of painting. Pissarro just missed the modern period of lacrimal surgery, and was treated by conservative methods.