Digitalis is of little use in chronic inyocarditis, but bleeding to the extent of nine or twelve ounces is calculated to be beneficial by reducing the congestive state of the heart, which underlies the chronic inyocarditis. Pasquier (Revue de .M6d., Nov., '97).
In myocarditis with gallop rhythm observed in children a. long rest is re quired and attention to general hygiene. food in small and digestible quantities, and regulation of the bowels. In most eases iodide of potassium is indicated and strychnine or SOIlle other cardiac stimulant. Strychnine should not be feared, because it should not be forgot ten that parts of the heart are probably in an intact or nearly intact condition, and permit of stimulation. If that be done carefully, the galloping rhythm eeases to be such a bad omen as some de clare it to bc. A. Jacobi (Med. News, May 12, 1900).
Morphine, administered hypodermic ally in small doses, together with strych nine and nitroglycerin, relied -upon when there is apparently- a condition of high arterial tension; when this is not pres ent morphine and strychnine alone will I ide over the difficulty until the danger i.s past. When there is venous stasis and lowered blood-pressure, the usc of digitalis and ordinary stimulants Will be sufficient to overcome the condition. Musser (Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., Jan. 11,1902).
In the final stages the treatment is the same as in cardiac dilatation, to which subject (see DILATATION OF TIIE HEART) the reader may refer. In most instances it is very unsatisfactory, the heart re sponding very imperfectly to any thera peutic appeals.
MYOPIA.—Gr., fii)etr, to close, and c'.31,b, the eye. The term alludes to the partial closure of the lids to render vision less indistinct, by narrowing the circles of diffusion on the retina: an action of which myopes generally learn the ben efit.
Definition.—That error of refraction in which the principal focus of the dioptric surfaces lies in front of the retina. Rays parallel when they enter the eye come to a focus in the vitreous, and diverge again, forming a circle of diffusion upon the retina. The eye is too long antero-posteriorly, as compared with the curve of its surfaces.
Symptoms. — The elongation of the eyeball may be part of its general en largement in all directions, and in any ease makes the front of the eye promi nent, so that it looks large. In high
myopia this elongation is very evident when the eye is turned strongly toward the nose. The pupil is often large and the anterior chamber deep. 'Phe ex pression of the patient is likely to be rather vacant. lie is unable to perceive inuch of the facial expression of others, and hence does not learn to respond to it hy facial movements of his own. A 11 distant vision is indistinct: the myopic child, therefore, is at a disadvantage in manv games; and is inclined toward reading and other atnusements requiring only distinctness of near vision. The constant effort to bring the eyes near to the object looked at is likely to cans° an habitual stoop.
N:‘ dt,rte is mostly at • 7' r- 1 tiAN t StrabiSIIIIIS. The •• • vtball makes it very r tt• turn in its socket, and ,1 of the range of distinct • fl 1 pOilli COIN/CIS the myopc t_ n es more and more con i.I.N • 'L. 11 normal. As the myopia rt di's need and difficulty of increase, until the cirort tt.o (-Hat to be habitually sus I and 1•inoeular vision is given up, an.1 tli• w. rst eye allowed to squint. IL. 1.r ts, of elongation of the eyeball -. tl t va,t majority of cases, distinctly .loz.eal and attended by changes in •I of the tye. especially by turl.ance and atrophy of the choroid in a trt,et ntic area at the temporal side of tlie optic disk: the so-called myopic cres «nt. In high myopia the vitreous hu .or u‘nally shows opacities and may be al normally fluid. the crystalline lens is I:able to become partly opaque, and the 1-,•nit often becomes detached. Distant v:-ion is always worse than near vision; the latter may also be very imperfect. Excessive efforts of convergence may z:ve rise to headache, vertig.o, or the in ,mma+ory symptoms of eye-strain.
Among. 1240 cases of myopia 1E80 in stances were found of the monolateral fr_rm of the disease. Corneal astigmatism is more common and exists in a higher degree in myopic than in non-myopic eyes. the frequency and degree of this astigmatism in myopes increasing with the degree of myopia. The monolateral tyre is not congenital in origin, trauma tism and inflammation of the cornea being doubtless the cause of the condi tion in subjects already predisposed to myojia. Iartin (Ann. d'Ocul., July, '94..