Evolution and Impact of Eye and Vision Terms in Written English

Leffler, Christopher T.; Schwartz, Stephen G.; Stackhouse, Russell; Davenport, Byrd; Spetzler, Karli

doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2013.917

Cited by 17 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…In our previous study, many terms showed similar decreases in frequency during this timeframe, including “amblyopia”, “glaucoma”, “ophthalmologist”, “visual acuity”, and others. 1 We believe this reflects an artifact of the database construction. Most books (especially the older ones) included in the Google corpus were obtained from university libraries, but some (especially the newer ones) were contributed by publishers.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similarly, the term “macular degeneration” was not commonly used in English books until a century after the development of the ophthalmoscope, because the condition was initially labelled “choroiditis.” In fact, the frequency of the term “choroiditis” in English books in the latter portion of the nineteenth century was greater than the frequency of the term “macular degeneration” today. 1 …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We have previously reported on the evolution and impact of various eye and vision terms, although “macula” was not included in this study. 1 Here, we specifically investigate this word and its common uses from about 1400 through the present day.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Uses of the word “macula” in written English, 1400–present

Schwartz¹,

Leffler²

2014

Survey of Ophthalmology

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We compiled uses of the word “macula” in written English by searching multiple databases, including the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership, America’s Historical Newspapers, the Gale Cengage Collections, and others. “Macula” has been used: as a non-medical “spot” or “stain”, literal or figurative, including in astronomy and in Shakespeare; as a medical skin lesion, occasionally with a following descriptive adjective, such as a color (macula alba); as a corneal lesion, including the earliest identified use in English, circa 1400; and to describe the center of the retina. Francesco Buzzi described a yellow color in the posterior pole (“retina tinta di un color giallo”) in 1782, but did not use the word “macula”. “Macula lutea” was published by Samuel Thomas von Sömmering by 1799, and subsequently used in 1818 by James Wardrop, which appears to be the first known use in English. The Google n-gram database shows a marked increase in the frequencies of both “macula” and “macula lutea” following the introduction of the ophthalmoscope in 1850. “Macula” has been used in multiple contexts in written English. Modern databases provide powerful tools to explore historical uses of this word, which may be underappreciated by contemporary ophthalmologists.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Uses of the word “macula” in written English, 1400–present

Schwartz¹,

Leffler²

2014

Survey of Ophthalmology

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“…The translation offered Greek and Latin terminology along with colloquial English expressions, and therefore introduced numerous ophthalmic terms into the English language, e.g. : amblyopia, couching, strabismus, myopia, and proptosis [22]. Major sections covered eyelid surgery.…”

Section: Principal Textsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enduring Influence of Elizabethan Ophthalmic Texts of the 1580s: Bailey, Grassus, and Guillemeau

Leffler¹,

Schwartz²,

Davenport³

et al. 2014

TOOPHTJ

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Three English ophthalmic texts of the 1580s were frequently republished: 1) Walter Bailey’s A Briefe Treatise Touching the Preseruation of the Eie Sight, 2) The Method of Phisicke, an adaptation of the medieval treatise of Benevenutus Grassus, and 3) A Worthy Treatise of the Eyes, a translation of Jacques Guillemeau’s treatise. Their history is intertwined through composite publications, some of which lacked clear attribution. At least 21 editions incorporated these texts. Although not previously realized, major elements of all 3 works are found in Two Treatises Concerning the Preseruation of Eie-sight, first published in 1616. To preserve eyesight, Bailey recommended eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis), fennel (Fæniculum vulgare), and a moderate lifestyle incorporating wine. In the works of Grassus and Guillemeau, cataracts were believed to lie anterior to the ‘crystalline humor,’ and were treated by the ‘art of the needle,’ or couching. Links are found between Grassus, Guillemeau, and eighteenth century glaucoma concepts. Although one of his students has traditionally received credit, it was English oculist John Thomas Woolhouse who first combined the early concepts and used the term glaucoma to describe the palpably hard eye in the early eighteenth century. The three primary ophthalmic texts of 1580s England influenced ophthalmic thought for over a century.

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“…It has been used to explore evolution of vision-related terms in a study published recently 4. It also allows separate searches of British and American English corpora.…”

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confidence: 99%