In this state he was brought to me on the 9th of September, 1840, when I ordered for each eye two drops of the oil of almonds (after being warmed) to be put into the eyes. The relief that he experienced was so great, that he said he felt as if he were in another world. In eight days the pain had greatly diminished. He was enabled to open his eye-lids, but could discern no object whatever. I then ordered castor oil to be dropped into each eye, for the purpose of removing the opacity. He left me at the end of December, at which time he could see very imperfectly; but returned to me in January, 1843, when the opacity of the cornea still continued. He has had, almost daily, the prussic acid vapour applied to his eye. He is at the present time so well that he can read the smallest diamond print.
GEORGINIA LARKINS, aged 10, at No. 25, Grafton Street, Newport Market, and at the Blind School, Queen Square. Her aunt states that this patient has been blind since she was six days old, in consequence of an attack of inflammation, which gave rise to a great discharge from the eyes. In her infancy fluids of various kinds were injected underneath the eye-lids, and when four months old she was taken for three years regularly to an Ophthalmic Hospital, where she was told that the right eye was destroyed. The left eye had caustic applied to it for a length of time thrice a week. Ointment was then applied underneath the eye-lids until the eye became so very large that she was at last told that it was a hopeless case, and that no more could be done for her. Her next visit was to an eminent oculist, who said he would not undertake the treatment of such a case. She then went to another Ophthalmic Institution, where she remained for about two years without deriving any improvement in her sight; but she was relieved from much pain.
I saw her first on the 6th of April, 1840, when the appearance of the left eye seemed to be at least twice the size of a natural eye. It was of a dark-blue colour, standing out beyond the lids; and where the pupil ought to have been, there was a blue circular ring of lighter hue than the rest of the eye, and in the centre of this ring was a white body about the size of a pea.