A Description of a New Method of Opening the Cornea, in Order to Extract the Crystalline Humour; By Mr. Samuel Sharp, Surgeon to Guy's Hospital, and F. R. S.

XXIV. A Description of a new Method of opening the Cornea, in order to extract the crystalline Humour; by Mr. Samuel Sharp, Surgeon to Guy's Hospital, and F. R. S. Read April 12, 1753. THE operation of discharging the crystalline humour from the eye, for the cure of that species of blindness call'd a cataract, was a few years since invented by Mons. Daviel, who has perform'd it on great numbers of patients, and continues still to practise it with remarkable success, as I have lately learned from unquestionable authority *. Supposing it therefore admitted, that the extraction of the crystalline humour has been found by experience to be a useful method of cure, I here take the liberty of laying before the Society a new manner of making the incision of the cornea, by which, I flatter myself, Mons. Daviel's operation will be very much shorten'd, the patient will suffer less pain, and every skilful operator will be equal to the undertaking. * Mr. Morand, perpetual Secretary of the Academy of Surgery at Paris. Place the patient in the same situation as for couching, either opening the eyelids with your fore-finger and thumb, or letting an assistant raise the upper eyelid, whilst you yourself keep down the under eyelid. Then, with a small knife, the figure of which is here represented, holding its edge downwards, make a puncture through the cornea near its circumference into the anterior chamber of the eye, in such a direction, as to carry it horizontally, and opposite to the transverse diameter of the pupil: after which you are to pass it towards the nose, through the cornea from within outwards, as near to its circumference, as in the first puncture. When you have made the second puncture, push the extremity of the blade one seventh of an inch beyond the surface of the cornea, and immediately cut the cornea downwards, drawing the knife towards you as you make the incision. After this, you press gently with your thumb against the inferior part of the globe of the eye, in order to expel the cataract, and the operation finishes, according to the different circumstances, as in the manner proposed by Mons. Daviel. One extraordinary benefit seems to arise from the use of this single instrument, and perhaps from the shape of its blade, which increases in breadth all the way towards the handle: for, by this means, the punctures are so exactly fill'd up by the blade, that very little of the aqueous humour is discharged before you begin to make the incision, and consequently during this time, the cornea preserves its convexity; whereas by using one instrument to puncture, and others to dilate, the cornea immediately becomes becomes flaccid, upon the issue of the aqueous humour, and renders the operation tedious and embarrassing, as I myself have found by experience in one patient, on whom I performed the incision of the cornea with a pair of scissors, as recommended by Monsr. Daviel. XXV. Experiments by Francis Hume, M.D., on Fish and Flesh preserved in Lime-water, communicated by John Clephane, M.D. F.R.S. Read May 3, 1753. WITH a design to find out how long I could keep fish and flesh fit to eat in lime-water, I put two haddocks, and a pound of beef, in different pots full of lime-water, and corked them well. They stood in our cellar 18 days. I then took out one of the fish: it was sweet, sound, and firm; I boiled one part of it, and I broiled the other: it eat well, and had not the least taste of lime-water; but was not just so firm as a fresh fish. But when I open’d the beef-pot, to my great surprize, it stunk abominably. I poured the lime-water from both pots, and put in fresh lime-water. This stood 4 weeks longer; the remaining fish was quite fresh, and a little swelled, but, when I boil’d it, dissolved to a jelly. The flesh was very putrid. Thus lime-water appears to preserve fish, but not flesh. X 2 Dr.