1288 CORRESPONDENCE

C O R R E S P O N D E N C E A M E R I C A N OPHTHALMOLOGICΔL

SOCIETY TRANSACTIONS

Editor, American Journal of Ophthalmology :

I should like to bring to your attention that the 1949 Transactions of the American Ophthalmologicδl Society, published in book form, may be purchased by advance sub-scription.

This volume, priced at $12.00, contains the scientific papers presented at the annual meeting and the theses for membership. It may be ordered from the Editor:

Dr. Wilfred E. Fry 1930 Chestnut Street

Philadelphia 3, Pennsylvania

All orders must be received by December 1, 1949.

(Signed) Maynard C. Wheeler, New York, New York.

PUPILLARY DILATATION BY

DATURA STRAMONIUM

Editor, American Journal of Ophthalmology :

In the March, 1949, issue of the JOURNAL, Dr. Lucian Bauman published an interesting article on "Accidental cycloplegia by Jimson weed," in which he stated that "there are only 7 reported cases of accidental cyclo-plegia (by Datura stramonium) in the world literature during the past 50 years ; 3 in the United States, 1 in Cuba, 1 in France, and 2 in French Morocco," and lists the refer-ences.

My name is omitted, although I observed a case of accidental pupillary dilatation due to Datura stramonium and reported it in the Santa Fe Medical Review (Argentine Republic) in the issue for October-Decem-ber, 1940, on pages 26 and 27. In this case, accidental cycloplegia occurred while the pa-tient was washing her hair with an infusion of leaves of the Datura stramonium and un-

thinkingly let some of the liquid run into her eyes. Experimentally, I have produced maximum mydriasis in eyes into which I instilled a filtered infusion of leaves of this-plant.

In effect, the above paragraph is what I published in the Santa Fe Medical Review, and I believe that this summarized reminder is of interest as a marginal note to the recent work of Dr. Bauman.

I should like to avail myself of this oppor-tunity to advocate the exchange of medical reviews with their articles summed up in several languages so that oculists of each country can know what is published abroad.

(Signed) Francisco Pβez Allende, Santa Fι, Republica Argentina.

U S E OF WATER BATHS TO PROMOTE

WOUND HEALING

Editor, American Journal of Ophthalmology :

I have found the following procedure for the management of ocular wounds to be most successful and to fulfill these aims: (1) early closure of the wound, (2) diminu-tion of the scar, and (3) retention of the greatest amount of visual function.

After all visible debris has been removed, the wound is submerged in a water bath as warm as the patient can stand for three quarters of an hour, warm water being added to the bath from time to time to keep the temperature even. The patient is in-structed to rotate his eye and to blink oc-casionally.

Following local anesthesia with novocain and adrenalin, a careful wound toilet is made. It is surprising how many foreign bodies not visible before the bath are visible after it. No tissue is trimmed for the parts not possessing vitality will be eliminated. Do not scrub or scrape the wound surface. If necessary, use sutures but do not complete the sewing for the sutures are to be used to guide the healing. Wound closure is at-tained by submerging the wound daily in a water bath. After the toilet is completed, the