jects, and also from contusions, and other mechanical injuries, will require the use of Ruta.

Stramonium.-External Indications.-Pupils dilated and immovable; eyes staring, and somnolent or glistening.

Physical Sensations.-Sense of weight and tension in the eyes; ob scuration of sight; objects appear small or double; black colors appear gray; sparks and specks float before the eyes; objects seem surrounded with a red or light border; cloudy vision; vertigo; headache.

MENTAL AND MORAL SYMPTOMS.-Disposition irritable and touchy; hysterical and cataleptic.

REMARKS.-Stramonium is suitable in paralytic affections of the optic nerve and retina; connected with deranged menstruation,.hysteria, epilepsy and catalepsy.

In incipient amaurosis, and frequent and sudden and short attacks of blindness, we may refer to Sulphur, Euphrasia, Arnica, Cannabis, Hyoscyamus, Conium, Aurum, Digitalis.

ADMINISTRATION.—We are in the habit of employing from the first to the sixth attenuations. Repetitions should not be made more than once or twice in the twenty-four hours. As soon as an impression is apparent, we should await the result before administering again.

5. HYDROPHTHALMIA, OR DROPSY OF THE EYE.

DIAGNOSIS. This disorder proceeds from the formation of a preter natural quantity of the aqueous or the vitreous humors, while the absorbent vessels convey into the circulation only their customary amount of these secretions; or the humors may be formed as usual, but owing to some defect or loss of power of the absorbents, the natural quantity is not taken up and carried into the circulation. But it is highly probable, in most cases, that the disease is dependent on a morbid condition of both the secerning and absorbent vessels, and the normal equilibrium between secretion and absorption becomes thereby destroyed. This idea receives confirmation from the fact, that most dropsies of the eye can be traced to previous inflammation of the internal textures of the organ.

The unnatural accumulation may be confined to the aqueous humor in the anterior chamber, or to the vitreous humor in the posterior chamber, or both humors may be affected at the same time. When the aqueous humor is alone involved, the disease may be recognized by the following marks: dimensions of the cornea larger than natural; increased size of the anterior chamber of the eye; turbid appearance of the aqueous humor; partial or total loss of motion of the iris; pupil natural and immovable; iris less brilliant than natural; sense of weight and tension in the eyeball; weakness of sight; perversion of vision,

VOL. II.-9.

either in the form of presbyopia or myopia: general loss of voluntary motion over the ball; partial or total loss of vision.

When there is a preternatural accumulation of the vitreous humor, the enlargement of the globe is more deep-seated; the ball assumes a conical shape; the cornea is unusually prominent; the pupil is contracted; there is a diminution of vision; myopia; deep-seated pains; tension and heaviness; impaired motion of the ball; and eventually, total blindness.

When the disease consists of an unnatural accumulation of both humors, we shall have a combination of symptoms including nearly all described under the aqueous and vitreous varieties of dropsy. After

the vitreous humor has been for some time affected, its character is changed, and it acquires a soft and usually a watery appearance. In many cases, the attains eye a size so enormous as to protrude far from the orbit, and it is thus rendered quite impossible to close the lids over it. In this condition the patient has a frightful appearance, and the organ itself, from its exposure, is constantly irritated and inflamed.

CAUSES.-The immediate cause of dropsies of the eye is an undue action in the arteries which secrete the humors, and a diminished action of the absorbent vessels; or, sometimes an inordinate aqueous or vitreous secretion, with a normal action of the absorbents.

Hydrophthalmia is generally supposed to depend upon some constitutional cause, like general dropsy, hydrocephalus, chlorosis, or secondary syphilis; but, as a general rule, it may be traced by some previous inflammation of the internal structures of the eye. In infants and young children, it is often exceedingly difficult to discover the real cause, especially when the external indications are obscure, and, on this account, the earlier history of the case can rarely be ascertained; but in adults, we shall often be able to discover previous sub-acute inflammation in the internal structures.

PROGNOSIS.-The allopathists deem this disease, when fully formed, incurable. They find that no shedding of blood, no punishment of stomach, bowels, salivary glands, skin, or other inoffensive parts of the body, can cure or palliate it. That the prognosis is unfavorable we do not deny; but we believe the disease may often be cured in its early stages. We have treated but two cases homoeopathically; and but one with a favorable result. This was of six months standing, confined to the aqueous humor, and with but moderate distention of the cornea; the other case involved both humors, had continued more than a year, and had arrived at the condition termed "ox eye," when the treatment was commenced. In this instance paracentesis became necessary, and the patient ultimately lost his eye.

So long as the disease is confined to its incipient stage, and even

after the unnatural accumulation has commenced, provided no serious disorganization has taken place in the important tissues of the eye, we may predict a favorable result; but if organic lesions have occurred, and the accumulation in the anterior or posterior chamber is considerable, with total loss of sight, our prognosis must be unfavorable.

TREATMENT.-If the dropsy depends upon a constitutional fault, our remedies must be addressed to the remote difficulties. So long as these continue, mere local means will be inadequate to accomplish our object; but constitutional and local remedies may be used in alternation with probable advantage. If the eye be much distended, and medicines do not act with sufficient promptness and energy, the operation of paracentesis may be made to evacuate the superabundant humors, after which the remedies will generally prove sufficiently powerful.

We believe the following to be the best at present known: Belladonna, China, Pulsatilla, Mercurius, Hyoscyamus, Stramonium, Conium, Nux-vomica, Arsenicum, Plumbum, Aconite, Sepia, Sulphur.

It is doubtful whether either of these exercises a positively specific influence upon the secretory and absorbent vessels affected in hydrophthalmia, but they are capable of acting upon the generally morbid condition upon which the local disorder depends; they thus aid in arresting ts progress, and occasionally in effecting cures.

ADMINISTRATION.-In the same manner as advised in amaurosis.

6. CATARACT.

DIAGNOSIS. Strictly speaking, this disease belongs to the province of surgery rather than that of medicine; but as homoeopathy promises results somewhat important in a medicinal point of view, we take the liberty of presenting a few words respecting the malady in this place.

By the term cataract is understood, an opacity of the crystalline lens, or its capsule, which causes an obscuration, or a total loss of vision. Authors recognize and describe several varieties, both of the lenticular and capsular cataract, and among the most common are :—

First.-The firm or hard cataract, peculiar to old people, and recognized by its amber color, small size, and by its density and hardness. Vision is never totally destroyed in these cases, and the structures of the eye retain their natural contractility.

Second.-The fluid or milky cataract, caused by a change of the lens into a white and semi-fluid mass, of so large a size as to nearly obliterate the posterior chamber, impair the motions of the pupil, and prevent the admission of rays of light.

Third-The soft or caseous cataract, which presents an appearance somewhat similar to the last variety, with the lens much enlarged,

of a cheesy consistence, and of a light gray or sea-green color, oblite ration of the posterior chamber, impaired motion of the pupil and iris, and either partial or total blindness. The lens in this variety, always presents an appearance of more firmness and consistence than in the milky cataract, aud the dark irregular spots or lines which sometimes traverse it, remain the same in all positions of the head, while those which are now and then observed in all the milky variety, change their location with every motion of the eyes.

Fourth.-Capsular cataract, consisting of an opacity of the capsule of the crystalline lens. The opacity commences at the margin of the pupil, in the form of "distinct, white, shining points, specks or streaks; its color, therefore, is always very light, and never altogether uniform, even when the disease is completely formed." (Beer.) When this kind of cataract occurs in children at or soon after birth, it is called congenital cataract.

The capsular cataract does not generally continue for a long period before the lens becomes involved also in the opacity. When the disease has been preceded by a good deal of inflammatory action, we may find cohesions of the anterior capsule of the lens with the urea; or of the whole of the capsule with the lens; or all the three species of adhesion may exist together." (Beer, p. 318.)

Cataract is sometimes complicated with amaurosis. This complication is not always easy of detection, on account of the symptoms of these diseases bearing so close a resemblance. When the lens or its capsule are alone affected, the opacity is immediately behind the pupil, the iris and pupil possess some degree of mobility, and there is some little appreciation of light; but when amaurosis is conjoined with cataract, we have the same appearance of the lens or capsule, but a dilated and immovable pupil, an insensible and immovable state of the iris, and an absolute loss of vision.

The first intimation we have of a forming cataract, is defective vision when attempting to read fine print, or to look at minute objects. As the disease advances, all objects appear indistinct; a mist is constantly before the affected eye; a strong light is required to read or write; a small speck now commences just behind the centre of the pupil, and continues to extend until the opacity entirely obstructs the passage of rays of light to the eye; when the opacity is complete, & black ring is seen around the edge of the pupil and the sight continues to diminish until blindness is complete.

CAUSES. Frequent and long-continued use of the eyes in reading fine print, writing, or looking at minute objects by a strong light; congestion of blood to the eyes, from exercise in the hot sun, in furnaces, and other places where hot and bright fires are kept; exposure of the eyes, irritating fumes and vapors, like sulphurous acid, chlorine and

other gases, and the vapors of sulphuric ether, nitric, sulphuric and muriatic acids, hereditary predisposition, mechanical injuries, wounds of the capsule or lens.

PROGNOSIS.-When the cataract is confined to the lens, or to its capsule, and no complications exist from unnatural adhesions, from amaurotic symptoms, or from serious constitutional disturbance, a favorable issue may be expected. On the other hand, a dilated pupil an immovable iris, a profound blindness, which has been disproportionate to the gradually forming opacity, unnatural adhesions of the capsule, and an irritable and vitiated constitution, will render our prognosis unfavorable.

TREATMENT.-Before resorting to the operation of couching, or extraction, as is so often done by the old school surgeons, we should always give our medicines a fair trial. It is quite true that we have but few remedies which simulate this affection in their pathogenesis, yet the successful results which have been observed from the use of medicines in a few cases, render it incumbent on us to avail ourselves of them on all proper occasions.

After a thorough trial with medicines, like Silicea, Graphites, Kalihyd., Merc.-hyd., Calc-carb.-ac., if there is no prospect of amendment, the patient should be turned over to the surgeon for the necessary operation.

In a few cases of incipient cataract, much benefit has followed the local employment of sulphuric ether vapor to the eye, and should our internal remedies prove fruitless, there can be no objection to a trial of this substance.

As internal remedies we suggest: Silicea, Graphites, Iodine, Merc.hyd., Conium, Pulsatilla, Magnesia-carb., Sulphur, Cannabis, Phosphorus, Digitalis, Spigelia, Euphrasia.

Conium and Cannabis may be employed where the cataract has arisen from a wound or other injury to the eye.

Magnesia-carbonica, Pulsatilla, Digitalis, and Phosphorus, have proved curative in capsulo-lenticular cataract, either with or without abnormal adhesions, also in opacity of the lens or capsule alone. These remedies are useful when the disease has been accompanied with ophthalmia.

Sulphur is appropriate in those cases which seem to be connected with a scrofulous or psoric diathesis. It has also been found curative n cataract complicated with amaurosis.

Euphrasia, or Spigelia may sometimes be alternated with Sulphur

with benefit.

ADMINISTRATION.-The same as in amaurosis.

A case is given by Dr. J. Mouremans,* of a lady, aged 77 years, * L'IIomœopathe Belge.