2. Ophthalmic Surgery and Ophthalmology

1. Four Desmarre’s eyelid retractors: c. 1850,
alpaca (nickel silver or German silver, an alloy
made of copper, nickel and zinc) handles and
carved ivory blades.
2. Eleven eye surgery instruments: c. 1850–1900,
carved ivory handles with carved ivory or steel
blades. On the right: a complete 12-piece set of
stainless steel ophthalmic surgery instruments
and handles in their original case, c. 1890.
3. Three double-sided cataract couching
needles: steel blades and ebonite handles, one
as in the 16th-century Ambroise Paré
(1510–1590) and Heister (1743) engravings and
two retractable ones.
4. Cheselden sharp eye specula: c. 1750, turtle
shell and steel.
5. Eyelid forceps: c. 1890.
6. Trachoma forceps: c. 1890.
7. A rare bronze Roman eye speculum: c. 100 BC.
8. An eye globe retractor, 19th century, used to
facilitate enucleation; 19th century, four
speculums, a retractor and a gold-plated
eyelid speculum, c. 1870.
9. Benjamin Bell’s eye speculum, c. 1780.
Ophthalmic diagnostic instruments:
10. Stellwag von Carion retinoscope, 1854.
The Rekoss disc is accompanied by a concave
mirror that pivoted on an extended arm.
Unfortunately, the mirror’s peephole was too easily
pivoted out of line with the disc lens. Libreich’s
small ophthalmoscope combined Reute’s concave
perforated mirror (Coxeter mirror) with Coccius’
lens clips. Cased with the instrument were several
concave and convex lenses to correct the refractive
variations of the examiner’s eye. Also included was
a larger biconcave lens for indirect ophthalmology.
This lens was held by the physician and was not part
of the ophthalmoscope.
11. Loring ophthalmoscope: c. 1878.
12. Morton’s chain of lenses: 1883.
13. Two of Dr. Wilbur Marpel’s
ophthalmoscopes: 1906 and a retinoscope.

14. Three generations of ophthalmic tonometers
(measuring intraocular pressure) from right
to left:
• Schiotz tonometer: c. 1911.
• Bailliart’s tonometer: c. 1920, based on
Block’s 1880 sphygmomanometer. See Showcase
B, Item 1.
• Bailliart’s ocular round dial
ophthalmologist-dynamometer.
15. Ophthalmic operating spectacle: mid-18th
century.
16. Five eye baths: 18th–19th centuries.
18. Lachrymal duct probe.
19. Lachrymal duct irrigation syringe:
mid-17th century, pewter.
20. Dominiq