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Show Prevention of Blindness. (Century Magazine.) As to the prevention of unnecessary blindness, this is a matter which the physicians of the country have been alive to these many years, but which the New York Association for the Blind has just taken up by means of a special spe-cial committee. This movement resulted result-ed from the fact that a member of the new association, who has been a leader in far-reaching measures of philanthropy, philanthro-py, recently became impressed by the startling fact that, as Dr. Lewis puts it, "from 30 to 40 per cent of those who are blind need never have become so had proper measures been taken at the right time to prevent this affliction." In this case the method of prevention is a simple and absolutely painless precaution pre-caution to be exercised with new-born children a method invented a quarter of a century ago in Leipsic, and now known and generally approved throughout through-out the medical world. The work of the special committee in co-operation with competent physicians and state authorities, will doubtless be taken up in other states of America, and before another quarter of a century has passed this one device of prevention preven-tion will doubtless be the means of saving sav-ing from misfortune thousands of members mem-bers of the human family who will never nev-er have known of -their danger. Should this prevention become universal, the hardship of blindness would be diminished dimin-ished to an extent it is impossible to compute. And is it too strained an optimism for us to look forward to a time when the danger of this phase of blindness, as of other preventable diseases, will, by purer and more sanitary living, be largely removed from the ills to which humanity is heir? That day of radical prevention will be hastened by a franker frank-er and more scientific attitude on the part of both physicians and the public. Already signs are multiplying of a great and widespread awakening an awakening which may do that for humanity hu-manity which has been for centuries the dream not only of the "wise physician," physi-cian," but also of the long line of the world's great preachers, prophets and poets. |