Udo Hennighausen (Weddingstedt):
Indirect Trauma as a Cause for a Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment, a Review in History of Medicine

Background: Nearly for hundred years the opinion, an indirect trauma could lead to a retinal detachment, was discussed til it was abandoned finally in the last third of the 20th century.
Methods: The available literature, mainly in German language, was studied with the question, if the told opinions showed the attempt of an explanation or a defence of a theory or were based on evidence based medicine.
Results: These, who advocated the “axiom of the indirect trauma as a cause for a retinal detachment”, mostly emphasized the close relationship in time between indirect trauma and retinal detachment, those, who denied this “axiom”, compared it with the real knowledge of pathogenesis of retinal detachment at that time.
Conclusions: The opinion, an indirect trauma could lead to a retinal detachment was born in the “early period of diagnosis and the archaic time of therapy” of this disease and finally abandoned only with increasing knowledge of its pathogenesis.

Dr. med. Udo Henninghausen, Pommernring 18, D-25795 Weddingstedt

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Aloys Henning
The Iconography of Notre Dame’s Western Front at Paris and its Semiologic Correspondence with the Hoard Find from Nebra (1600 BC)

Tthrough ten years at JHG’s conventions, semantics of the eye have been refered repeatedly to its female respectively lunar semiotics and the latter unveiled thereby, in 2005 “as semiotic key to paleolithic astronomy” at the 15th SOE Congress in Berlin. By the well-founded key the ‘only’ 3600 years old astronomic semiotics of the Nebra hoard find in Thuringia may be understood, especially the astronomically based semiotics of its “overequipment” („Überausstattung“), beside the well known astronomic messages of its meanwhile famous “Sky disk” from the “Mittelberg” upon Unstrut, excavated in 1999 by robbery. They signalize domination like the “overequipments” of other finds of so called “princes’ burials” in its vicinity (Leubingen and Helmsdorf) at Younger Early Bronze Age. Their astronomic semiotics we find as legitimation of ruling by theology on Notre Dame’s western front at Paris.

Dr. med. Aloys Henning, Spandauer Straße 104K, D-13591 Berlin

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Jutta Herde (Halle):
The History of the Lid Surgery

The first reports on lid surgery were made by the Roman encyclopaedist Cornelius Aurelus Celsus (25 BC – 50 AC) as well as from the ancient India before 2000 years (Susruta). Hippocrates described four eye surgical methods. Out of the 21 different operations mentioned by Celsus, the entropium operation, the excision of bladders and tumors, the separation of adherent lids, the treating methods for the diseases of the eyelashes and the skin flap techniques are still of interest. The Hindus have reconstructed eyelids and noses in individuals mutilated as a form of punishment (the Indian method). In 1442 Branca practised another method of rhinoplasty in Sicily (the Italian method). In the 16th century Tagliacozzi used this method. Paulus of Aegina (4th century) recommended advancement flaps for the reconstruction of the ears. In 1583 Bartisch wrote in his book about surgical methods on ectropium, eyelashes disease and blepharochalasis but without any resonance. In 1755 J. Daviel reported to the Royal Society of London on successful excision of tumors. In Germany Carl Ferdinand v. Graefe founded the rhino- and oculoplastic surgery in 1809, 1811, 1816 and 1818 (the German Method). Unknown is the centuries long failure of further development of the lid and oculoplastic surgery. The systematical developement of the eyelid and plastic surgery started in the end of the 18th and especially in the 19th /20 th century. Eduard Zeis wrote in 1838: “The plastic surgery brings the luck of the life.” C.H. Dzondi developed contemporarily to C.F. v. Graefe the reconstruction of the lower lid with rotating cheek flap in Halle 1818. Many surgical lid operations have been modified and improved by C.G. Fricke (1828), Jüngken (1828), Dieffenbach (1834, 1845-48), A. Burow (1838), Lisfranc, v. Ammon, Chelius, Beck, Blasius, Baumgarten and others, but also in the USA (Miller 1906/07 and Kolle 1911), in France (Bourgeut,Tessier, Nöel, Possat and Cloure) and in UK too (Wolfe). The progressing anatomical and the pathophysiological knowledge on the lids stimulated the surgeons developing facilitate oculoplastic lid surgical methods (Fox, Hughes, Hübner, Tenzel, Cutler, Beard, Jones).Ectropium – The original opinion on the reason of this disease were the relaxation, the elongation of the whole lid and the shortening of the lid skin. Adequately the first surgical procedures were sticking-plaster (Fabr. ab Aquapedente, Bernstein), Cauterium potentiale (St. Yves, Rhazes, Avicenna), Cauterium actuale (Hippokrates, Celsus, Guy de Chauliac, Percy, Beer, v. Graefe), scarification of the palpebral conjunctiva (Cooper, Scarpa, Quadri), excision of the conjunctiva (Anthyllus, P. of Aegina, Severin), incision and excision of the lid skin (Celsus, P. of Aegina, Paré, Guillemeau, Thevenin, Heister, Dzondi), cutting of the whole lid; dilating of the wounds by linen or sticking-plaster, triangular excision of the lid, tarso-rhaphy by v.Walther, the methods by Dieffenbach, Jäger, v. Ammon, Adams, Argyll, Robertson, Verhoff, Szymanowski, Terson, Meller, Kuhnt-Szymanowski. In the 20th century have been changed and refined the most of all procedures mentioned above.(v. Blascovics, Imre, Fox, Smith, Schäfer, Anderson, Tse)Entropium – The treatment trials of the entropium are as old as mankind. Except for the Celsus procedure the surgical technics have been quite barbically for a long time. For special situations the method by Celsus is still under use. The surgical therapy of the entropium have been developed from the cauterization, excision of proliferated tissue, the use of adhesive strips, the canthotomy and cantholysis to the horizontal and vertical shortening of the lids. The important improvement of the surgical methods started in the 19th century (Bell, v. Ammon, Dieffenbach, Av. Graaefe, Jaesche, v. Blaskovics). Until the end of the 20th century more than 200 different surgical technics were known. We will show the development and progress of the different surgical procedures until the now-a-days.

Prof. Dr. med. Jutta Herde, Univ.-Augenklinik, Ernst-Grube-Straße 50, D-06120 Halle

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Danny Hirsch-Kauffmann Jokl (Bronxville):
Julius Hirschberg’s 1905 American Journey

In 1905, responding to an invitation of the of the American Medical Association to attend the Annual Meeting in Portland, Oregon, Professor Julius Hirschberg arrived in New York and commenced a cross country train trip making frequent stops to meet with such German-American ophthalmologists as Professors Hermann Knapp,and Kaspar Pischel as well as such future American luminaries to be who had studied in Germany, many in his clinic in Berlin- among them Professors John Weeks, deSchweinitz, Frederick Verhoeff, Jackson and Barkan, to name but a few.His recorded insights document the early evolution of American Ophthalmology as well as the great esteem held by his former students both towards him personally and, more broadly, to him in his role as representative of the German institutions in which they had trained.

Prof. Dr. med. Danny Hirsch-Kauffmann Jokl, 1 Stone Place, Bronxville, NY 10708, USA

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Gerhard Holland (Kiel):
The Anatomic Description or on the Illustrations of the Human Eye
by Johann Gottfried Zinn and Samuel Thomas Soemmering In 1755 Johann Gottfried Zinn (1727-1759) published his "Descriptio anatomica oculi humani iconibus illustrata" which was followed in 1801 by Thomas Samuel Soemmering´s (1755-1830) "Illustrations of the human eye". Both books gained highest acknowledgement at that time and were regarded as the main work of their authors. After giving a survey of life of Zinn and Soemmering the two books are described and the differences discussed. Of special interest is the criticism of Soemmerimg towards Zinn. After all they have a lot of common. Both studied medicine at the university of Göttingen and from the beginning both were particular interested in anatomy. Zinn had been a favorite student of Albrecht von Haller, professor of anatomy, surgery and botanic in Göttingen from 1736 until 1753. Even as a student Soemmering admired Albrecht von Haller and studied all his works. Heinrich August Wrisberg (1739-1808) may be regarded as a combining link between Zinn and Soemmering. He was the successor of Johann Georg Roederer as Professor of obstetrics and anatomy. While Roederer hindered Zinn in his work and gave him no possibility to continue his anatomical studies during his time as professor of bonanic in Göttingen (1753-1759), Wrisberg supported Soemmering as a student and became his doctor-father. In 1780 Wrisberg was the editor of the second edition of Zinn´s "Descriptio anatomica oculi humani". Thus in a certain way Soemmering´s "Illustrations of the human eye" can be regarded as the pursuit of Zinn´s work. Finally the importance of Zinn and Soemmering in general and especially in ophthalmology is appreciated.

Prof. Dr. med. Gerhard Holland, Esmarchstraße 51, D-24105 Kiel

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Manfred Jähne (Aue):
Gerd Sommer MD (1905–1988), Ophthalmic Surgeon in Zittau: A Forerunner in Keratoprosthetics in Germany

His Centenarian Birthday Gerd Sommer, MD, was one of the most important ophthalmologists in Saxony in the second half of the 20th century. He was leader of the private Eye Clinic Dr. Sommer for 54 years and, additionally, head of the eye department of the hospital of Zittau, both with 40 beds, for more than 20 years. About 30.000 gained sight again due to his eye surgery. Sommer glanced over the newest literature in ophthalmology and ocular surgery. He was open-minded to any progress in ocular surgery. The modern oculopression was created in Zittau, too. Sommer achieved his greatest importance in corneal surgery. His favorite procedure was the perforating keratoplasty. The Sommer Eye Clinic developed to the unique center for keratoprosthetics in the former GDR in the years from 1970 to his death in 1988. He implanted more than 100 keratoprostheses according to Cardona and 12 osteo-odonto-keratoprostheses according to Strampelli which were manufactured in high quality be precision tool maker Siegfried Deutschmann, Zittau. Even today, a few thankful patient with keratoprosthesis are still able to see. Sommer published 25 ophthalmological papers, in his late years these engaged with the development of keratoprosthesis. The ophthalmologists who were trained by Sommer got the knowledge for an excellent surgeon. It is his merit that six of his fellow doctors became head of departments for ophthalmology in hospitals and he brought two of them to habilitation. So you can speak of a "Sommer school", indeed. Several honours he received in the old age.

PD Dr. med. habil. Manfred Jähne, Department for ophthalmolgy HELIOS hospital Aue, Gartenstraße 6, D-08280Aue

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Paulus T. V. M. de Jong (Amsterdam):
The First Descriptions of the macula lutea and the Subsequent Hypotheses Concerning the Etiology of ist Aging Degeneration

The first known description of the macula lutea is by Buzzi in 1782 followed 10 years later by a publication from Soemmering. Drusen are one of the main characteristics of ageing macular degeneration and drusen were first described by Donders as colloid bodies and by Mueller as drusen in 1854. The first mention of ageing degeneration of the macula was in 1874 by Hutchinson: "Symmetrical central choroido-retinal disease occurring in senile persons." The major hypotheses about the etiology of ageing macular disease as expressed in its subsequent names, from that time on, will be demonstrated.

Prof. Dr. med. Paulus T. V. M. de Jong, Pr. Margrietstraat 44, NL-1077 LA Amsterdam

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Guido Kluxen:
Alfred Leber (1881-1954): Ophthalmological places in the South Seas and in Indonesia 1910–1940

Alfred Leber (1881-1954) was the first who combined teaching and research in the subjects of ophthalmology and tropical medicine. During his first expedition in the South Seas he discovered the involvement of the retina in filarial infections with Wuchereria bancrofti which must be discussed critically today. The famous painter Emil Nolde jointed him on his second expedition in the South Pacific 1913/14. Homewards bound, Leber met the German writer Max Dauthendey and both could not return to Germany because World War I broke out. They had to stay in neutral Dutch East Indies (Indonesia). Dauthendey died from malaria in Leber’s clinic in Malang/Java in 1918. In 1940 Leber, as a German, got arrested in Malang and interned and in 1942 he was shifted to India where he stayed.

Prof. Dr. med. Guido Kluxen, Brückenweg 1, D-42929 Wermelskirrchen

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Frank Krogmann (Thüngersheim):
Old Documents in the House-, Court- and State Archive in Vienna for Ophthalmohistorians

The House-, Court- and State archive in Vienna, department of the Austrian State archive, has because of its task a closed fund. There are some documents, which can be of interest to ophthalmohistorians, like privileges for doctors from the time of the Holy Roman Empire. Also documents of the 19th and beginning 20th century about appointment to a chair for ophthalmology in Austria, participation at international congresses, about decoration of well-deserved ophthalmologists, are interesting and will be presented in the lecture.Frank Krogmann, Kirchgasse 6, D-97291 Thüngersheim

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Erik Linner und Torsten Olsson (Göteborg):
Die Entwicklung eines neuen Instruments für Applanationstonografie mit konstantem Augendruck vor 25 Jahren

In 1950 and 1951 Grant published the first method of tonography. A Schiotz tonometer was placed on the eye during 4 minutes and the changing position of the plunger was continously measured. The increase in volume displacment of aqueous humor as well as the falling intraocular pressure were calculated. The method has been of great clinical importance, although inaccuracies limited its use in the individual patient. Many attempts were then made to improve the method. One way was to keep the intraocular pressure constant during the procedure and another way was to use a plane contact surface between the instrument and the cornea.In the eighties new electronic techniques became available and we felt that it might be worthwhile to develop a new instrument using these new resources. The original head of the Goldmann tonometer was replaced by a new transparent head with a plane, 9 mm wide anterior surface. In its centre a 3 mm wide pressure transducer measuring the intraocular pressure was placed. The applanating force was initially adjusted manually, but the plan was to improve the system by letting the pressure signal direct the applanating force in order to keep the pressure constant.The applanated area was measured photographically and the displaced volume was calculated as a portion of a sphere. The instrument was then tested on enucleated pig and human eyes and on living human eyes. The test showed that the instrument could measure simultanously and independently the intraocular pressure, the pulse amplitude, the external applanating force, the applanated area. In addition the intraocular pressure could be kept constant during the tonographic procedure.This instrument seems to be a suitable prototype enabling a more accurate tonographic procedure than previous models. There are still some problems to be solved, but by using the technical progress which is available today further improvement could be reached in the future.

Prof. em. MD Erik Linner, Dept. Ophthalmology, Goteborg University, Lilla Danska vägen 6, S-41274 Göteborg
Prof. em. Torsten Olsson, Dep. Signal and Systems, Chalmers University of Technology Goteborg

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Hans-Felix Piper (Lübeck):
Continuity in Change. Goethe’s Observations, as Related to Medical Research, in View of New and Old Insights

Goethe uses two temporal measures for nature and human life. He describes space with respect to beginning and end. Can his concepts of creation be applied to medical research? During centuries of medical research, progress has developed with variable focuses, but the basic picture has remained the same. Genetic research provides a unifying basis for many different aspects.
Amblyopy and nystagmus are the author's own areas of expertise and, therefore, continuity in change will be discussed using two examples of strabism. As in Goethe's poem, a comparison with a wave is made; it is composed of 5 consecutive sections of new insights and changing focuses. It spans from a collection of single cases to well considered interventions. Mankind, in discovering new scientific territories – knowingly or unknowingly – is indebted to Goethe's principles.Prof. em. Dr. med. Hans-Felix Piper, Im Brandenbaumer Feld 32, D-23564 Lübeck

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Hans Remky and Andreas Remky (München and Aachen):
KCE

1° Beschreibung des Krankheitsbildes und dessen Benennungen
19th century: kératite pointillée DESMARRES 1847, Keratitis punctata superficialis E. SEITZ 1852, E. FUCHS 1898
20th century: Keratoconjunctivits epidemica LÖHLEIN-SMITMANS 1940, epidemische Conjunktivo-Keratitis Grüter 1940

2° Epidemics
a. Asien: Japan since 1894. Java 1912, India 1920, 1929. China 1936
b. America: USA since 1936, greatest epidemics 1941/42 Mexico 1948, Canada 1951
c. Europa: since 1930, greatest epidemics 1938/39, 1952/54

3° Causative agents
Adenoviruses (8 and other serotypes)
Influenzaviruses (fowl-pest Newcastle 1927)

4° Spreading of viruses
Ophthalmic office and hospital, – Tonometer
Metallurgy: Shipyards, Car industry, Traumata?

5° Differential diagnoses
a. Keratitis nummularis DIMMER 1905
Macular Keratitis KIRKPATRICK 1920
b. Conjonctivite aiguë avec follicules BEAL 1907
Swimmingbath-Conjunctivitis DERRICK 1943
Pharyngo-conjunctival fever PARROTT 1954

6° Treatment
a. palliative
b. Virocide, virostasis, immuninization?Prof. Dr. med. Hans Remky, Biedersteinerstraße 57, D-80802 München

PD Dr. med. Andreas Remky, Kallenhof 44a, D-52074 Aachen

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Dieter Schmidt (Freiburg):
The stone portraits at buildings of the department of surgery and the department of internal diseases in Freiburg

With the construction of the Freiburg University Hospitals (1926-1931), 
stone portraits of important physicians in medical history were 
attached at the façade of buildings of the department of surgery and 
the department of internal diseases. At the department of surgery the 
following five portraits can be seen (from left to right): Guy de 
Chauliac (1298-1368), Ambroise Paré (1510-1590), Joseph Lister 
(1827-1912), Ernst v. Bergmann (1836-1907), and Albert Christian 
Theodor Billroth (1829-1894), and also five portraits at the building 
of the department of internal diseases (from left to right): 
Hippokrates von Kos (460 b. Chr. - 375), Paracelsus (Theophrastus, 
Bombastus von Hohenheim, 1493 - 1541), Hermann v. Boerhaave 
(1668-1738), Johann Lukas Schönlein (1793-1865), and Hermann Nothnagel 
(1841-1872). 
The actual medical importance for the foundations of medicine and 
ophthalmology of the mentioned physicians of earlier centuries is 
emphasized. 
Prof. Dr. med. Dieter Schmidt, Univ.-Augenklinik, Killianstraße 5, S-79106 Freiburg

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Sibylle Scholz (Ettlingen):
Life and Impactt of Prof. Otto Wichterle, the Inventor of Soft Contact LensesProfessor

Otto Wichterle was one of the founders of modern contact lens industry, and has made a significant impact on the ophthalmic world today. Because of his work millions of people around the world can enjoy comfortable vision correction by soft contact lenses or intraocular lenses made from HEMA respectively hydrophilic acrylate nowadays. 
This lecture gives an overview over life and impact on ophthalmic science done by the Czech chemist Prof. Otto Wichterle born in 1913. The most important dates in the development of HEMA as the first material for soft contact lenses are shown. 
Wichterle was a remarkable scientist - the Harold Ridley of soft contact lenses. Even with using modern refractive surgery techniques soft contact lenses have still their place in supplying people with refractive errors.

Dr. sc. hum. Sibylle Scholtz, Rudolf-Plank-Straße 31, D-76275 Ettlingen

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Sabine Veits-Falk (Salzburg):
Dr. Rosa Kerschbaumer-Putjata (1851–1923).
Biographical Research on an ophthalmologist in Austria, Russia and the United States

In 1890 – ten years before women were allowed to study medicine in Austria – the eye doctor Dr. Rosa Kerschbaumer obtained a special permission by Emperor Francis Joseph enabling her to practice as a doctor. Thus she was the first woman doctor of Austria.
Born in Moscow, she had studied medicine at the University of Zurich and Bern, graduated in 1876 and specialized in ophthalmology in Vienna at the clinic of Ferdinand von Arlt, Hubert Sattler and Ernst Fuchs. In 1878 she founded a private eye clinic with her husband, Dr. Friedrich Kerschbaumer, in Salzburg, in which also patients of the St. John’s hospital of Salzburg were treated. So the eye hospital is also the predecessor of the eye department of the biggest hospital of Salzburg. After Rosa Kerschbaumer had received the special license by the Austrian Emperor in 1890, she separated from her husband and ran the clinic successfully on her own.

Six years later she left Salzburg, went back to Russia and lectured at the medical academy in Petersburg. From 1897 to 1903 she was in charge of “mobile eye-clinics” along the Trans-Siberian-Railway. In 1903 she became the head of the eye clinic in Tbilisi, Georgia and from 1907 until 1911 she lived and worked in Vienna. In 1911, at the age of 60, she decided to immigrate to the United States. First she lived in Seattle, in 1915 she practiced in Los Angeles at the Good Samaritan Hospital. The restless eye doctor, died in 1923 in Los Angeles.Rosa Kerschbaumer was a pioneer among the first women doctors of Europe and she practiced, taught, researched and published as an eye specialist. Until 1905 she had operated more than 15.000 people, as she reported. In 1900 she published “The Sarcom of the Eye”, which was universally acclaimed in professional circles. She was also member of several medical societies and participated in international congresses of ophthalmology, for example 1888 in Heidelberg or 1900 in Utrecht. Rosa Kerschbaumer also stood up for the improvement of the rights of women. She supported campaigns for women to be admitted to university, held speeches and wrote articles that women should be allowed to become doctors.In my paper I would like to present some of my findings of my biographical research about Rosa Kerschbaumer, which will be also part of a book published in the series of the publications of the City Archives of Salzburg.

Mag. Dr. phil. Sabine Veits-Falk, Stadtarchiv Salzburg, Glockengass 8, A-5020 Salzburg

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Gottfried Vesper (Leipzig):
Johann Heinrich Tischbein the Elder (1722–1789) – about his Eye Injury

Tischbein was a very important court artist. He is one of the greatest portrait painter of the 18th century and has been professor of the academy Collegium Carolinum at Kassel.With advancing years it came to a blurring of vision, in particular a contraction of the visual field caused problems at his work.

SR Dr. med. Gottfried Vesper, Harnackstraße 9, D-04317 Leipzig

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Ralf Vollmuth (Würzburg):
Augenheilkundliches im medizinisch-pharmazeutischen Werk des Straßburger Publizisten Walther Hermann Ryff (um 1500–1543)

Walther Hermann Ryff, who was born in Straßburg around 1500 a.D., ranks with his approximately 200 editions as one of the most important publicists of his time. Due to his method of carrying together contents of other works, he also was one of the most contested medical-pharmaceutic publicists of the early modern times.There are many ophthalmological topics to be found in his work. – Around the year 1548 Ryff published in Würzburg a paper with the title ‚Nützlicher bericht / wie man die Augen vnd das Gesicht / wo das selbig mangelhafft / bloede / dunckel oder befinstert. Scherpfen / gesundt erhalten / stercken vnd bekrefftigen soll. [...]’. This ‚Nützlicher Bericht’ contains beside the dental chapters an ophthalmological part. In terms of a prophylactic approach in order to keep eyes and sight in a good state of health, foremost the way of life is moved in the centre of consideration. This paper is rounded off by relevant therapeutical methods and recipes like eye-lotions and eye drops.Also opthalmological elaborations of other works by Ryff like ‚Große Chirurgie’ (1545) or the pharmaceutic paper ‚Confect Büchlin vnd Hauß Apoteck’ (1544) are presented and set to their historic context, in order to develop those for their time most representative writings of this Straßburg author as an historical source.

PD Dr. med. dent. Ralf Vollmuth, Inst. für Gesch. der Medizin der Univ. Würzburg, Oberer Neubergweg 10a, D-97074 Würzburg

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Gregor Wollensak (Berlin):
The Famous Oculist Eisenbarth from Oberviechtach

The famous doctor Eisenbarth is known almost to anyone from the popular song. But in fact he also lived in reality. Johann Andreas Eisenbarth was born in Oberviechtach on the 27th of March 1663. He was trained in the profession by his brother-in-law Alexander Biller who was an oculist and barber in Bamberg. In 1684 he passed his final professional exam. In 1685 he moved to Altenburg where he assisted the oculist Johann Heinigken. Later he married his daughter Catharina Elisabetha Heinigken and opened his own practice in Altenburg. In the following decades Eisenbarth worked as a wandering doctor mainly in Saxony but also as far as Berlin, Stettin, Danzig and Breslau. In 1701 he met the young Heister in Frankfurt who later became a famous professor in Helmstedt. In 1704 he moved from Altenburg to Magdeburg where he purchased the house “Zum goldenen Apfel”. From Magdeburg he made professional travels to Berlin, Bremen, Hannover, Kassel and Koblenz. In 1716 he successfully healed the Oberstleutnant von Grävenitz from an ocular trauma in Stargard. After his first wife´s death he married Anna Rosina Albrecht in 1722. On the 11th of November 1727 Eisenbarth died from a stroke on one of his many travels in Hannoversch-Münden.

PD Dr. med. Gregor Wollensak, Wildentensteig 4, D-14195 Berlin


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