QUACK OCULISTS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXV, Issue 4254, 3 July 1895, Page 6

QUACK OCULISTS.

Dr Owens, who was for some time in charge of the Children's Hospital and Blind Asylum at Brisbane, but is now practising at Castlemaine, sends to the 'Argus' a warning against the Indians and Afghans who trade on the credulity of ignorant persons. He writes : — Some three or four years ago, whilst I was honorary opthalmic surgeon to the Children's Hospital , Brisbane, a poor boy came under my care blind from after-effects of blight. For months I attended him, doing several operations, succeeding at last in giving him vision sufficient to go about the world and derive some pleasure from seeing as •well as living. I told the parents I could do no more for him, and warned them to take care of what sight he had. Just at this time to Brisbane came some of these scoundrels. The poor lad was taken to them, for better vision was, of course, promptly promised, a good fee demanded and paid, strong caustic application made to the eyes ("to cut away the scum "), twenty-four hours of intense pain, and absolute blindness within thirty -six hours. The result was the poor lad is now an inmate of the Queensland Blind Asylum, into which institution I admitted him nine months afterwards. The only pleasing feature in this sad case was that the father met the darkhued gentleman, and he (the father) did not wait for the police to "initiate prosecution." On reading the article in the 'Argus ' I looked up my notes to see how many eyes I removed, having been hopelessly ruined by the treatment of self-termed oculists whilst they were in Queensland. I find I removed no fewer than seven. In the majority of cases the pain before removal was intense, commencing directly "after some application had been put into the eye." In not a single case would removal have been necessary except for the barbarous treatment used, and in many cases fair vision with appropriate treatment wotdd have been obained. As long as the world lasts there will be quackery. For myself personally, and I think I may speak for every member of my profession, I do not care one iota how the public's pockets are picked privately by quacks and such scum, but when men, women, and poor little children are deprived of one of their senses, and become a burden on the State and ratepayers by ignorance and criminal maltreatment, then, I say, stop it at all costs. Bread pills we can tolerate, for no harm is done. If the public choose to pay a guinea a box let them, but dangerous quackery we must crush as we would a crawling centipede. If the facts I have stated save one victim from dangerous quackery I am repaid.