The Oculist's Vade-mecum Author:John Walker Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: A doe attention must be paid to the condition of the alimentary canal. I do not see, however, what is to be gained by frequently exhibiting purgatives. Small dos... more »es of calomel, combined with rhubarb or jalap, carbonate of soda with rhubarb, or a suitable draught of infusion of senna, with sulphate of magnesia, may be occasionally ordered. Notwithstanding all the efforts we may have made, and the success that may have attended those efforts, in so far as the ophthalmic affection is concerned, we must expect that the patient will be liable to occasional relapses ; we can never pronounce him free from the danger of a subsequent attack. This should be pointed out, as well as the best means of prevention, which are such as tend to strengthen the constitution, and have been already described. SECTION VIII. OPHTHALMIA VARIOLOSA, OB THE OPHTHALMIA RESOLTINO FROM SMALL-FOX. It has been before stated, that during the progress of the various exanthemata, the inflammatory action is very apt to extend from the cutaneous to the conjunctival surface of the palpebrae. In such cases we generally find that, in addition to inflammation and swelling of the lids, a certain amount of conjunctivitis is present, either during the existence of the eruption, or after it has begun to decline, as evinced by the redness of the conjunctiva, the intolerance of light, and the mucous discharge which collects upon the tarsal margins, and causes them to adhere. Usually, in variolous cases, the ophthalmia is very slight; and in many the agglutination of the lids is probably caused solely by the matter from the pustules about their margins. This agglutination of the palpebral margins very often continues for Kveral days during the progress of the variolous affection, and is usually of no importance,...« less