"O & O"

In Washington's Mayflower Hotel last week gathered 1,400 members of the exclusive American Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology to study and discuss eyes, ears, noses, throats. Outstanding feature of the convention was the Section on Instruction which holds nearly a dozen special classes every year throughout convention week for eager, serious "O & O" men. Among the practical suggestions of the convention were:

Iced Ribs. In remodeling the nose and ears of an auto-accident victim, a plastic surgeon usually has to snip off patches of cartilage from the patient's ribs. Such mutilation is unnecessary, said Dr. Claire LeRoy Straith of Detroit, for cartilage leftovers from, surgical operations and even ribs removed at autopsy can be used in plastic surgery. Since cartilage is nourished by lymph instead of blood it does not undergo extensive or rapid degeneration. And it does not need to be ''matched'' to individuals. Spare ribs should be stored on ice, said Dr. Straith.

Quick Drops. When examining eyes for errors of refraction oculists use homatropine drops to dilate the pupils, paralyzing the muscles of accommodation. Chief objection to homatropine is that its effects sometimes last as long as 36 hours. Dr. Lyle Stephenson Powell of Lawrence, Kans. followed homatropine with small quantities of Benzedrine sulfate or with eserine (a drug derived from the African Calabar bean) in an alkaline solution similar to human tears. Result: quick-acting drops. Within four hours some patients were able to read newspapers again.

Snake Venom. From a snake farm near Sao Paulo, Brazil came Professor Maocyr E. Alvaro to tell of the effects of snake venom on eyes. Snake venom is a highly complex compound of proteins and enzymes which vary in quality and proportion with the species of snake. Two constituents of venom have already been isolated; one is a specific nerve poison which makes an excellent painkiller when diluted; the other is an enzyme which causes coagulation of the blood. There is a third principle not yet isolated, said Professor Alvaro, which affects only the eyes. Patients treated for severe snake bite complained of darkening of sight or even temporary blindness. Patients who were less severely bitten and who had suffered from circulatory or muscular disturbances in their eyes reported that their vision was greatly improved. Professor Alvaro has not yet been successful in isolating the specific eye principle, has used only small injections of diluted complete venom, or mixtures of various types of venom. Injection of venom under the conjunctiva (delicate membrane covering the eyeball) has relieved severe pain arising from inflammation of the cornea, stopped bleeding from ocular diseases.

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