[The surgeon Burghard Breitner. poet or healer?].

Burghard Breitner, born on June 10, 1884 in Mattsee (Salzburg state) went to school in Salzburg. From autumn 1901 he studied medicine in Graz and Vienna, where he graduated on 1 (st) of June 1908. In the time of his studies he worked on literature and poetry.

[The botanist and doctor Pietro Andrea Matthioli].

The physician Pietro Andrea Mattioli (1500 - 1577) is known for his Italian translation and commentary of the work of the Greek botanist Pedanios Dioscurides: "Di Pedacio Dioscoride Anazerbeo libri cinque ...

Three reading aids painted by Tomaso da Modena in the chapter house of San Nicolò Monastery in Treviso, Italy.

In 1352 the artist Tomaso da Modena depicted three monks with reading aids in the chapter house of San Nicolò Monastery. One of them is wearing rivet spectacles, the second is using a reading glass, and the third has a reading glass on a stand. These rivet spectacles are often quoted in the literature as the first pictorial representation of spectacles, while the reading glass was found in only one reference in the literature with only one illustration, and the reading glass with stand was not found at all.

[The Jesuit Athanasius Kircher and his organum mathematicum].

P. Athanasius Kircher SJ (1602-1680) was a man of great erudition who carried out research in both the natural sciences and the humanities. He drew one of the first maps of the moon, performed microscopic studies of blood, worked on hieroglyphics and described China.

Tolerance of N-chlorotaurine, an endogenous antimicrobial agent, in the rabbit and human eye--a phase I clinical study.

N-chlorotaurine (NCT), an essential weak oxidative N-chloro compound produced by stimulated human leukocytes, shows bactericidal, fungicidal, virucidal and vermicidal efficacy. A double-blind, randomized and placebo controlled study was done to evaluate the tolerance of the aqueous NCT solution by application to rabbit and human conjunctiva. In six rabbits treated with 1% and 3% NCT regimen for nine days no ocular and behaviour changes could be observed.

Representations of eyeglasses on Gothic winged altars in Austria.

The oldest representation of eyeglasses in the German-speaking area is found on the altar of Tyrol Castle in the Museum Ferdinandeum in Innsbruck, Tyrol, on an altarpiece depicting the death of the Virgin Mary (1370-1372). Other representations of eyeglasses are found in Klosterneuburg, Lower Austria, Albrechtsaltar, collegiate collection, death of the Virgin (1439); St. Lorenzen ob Murau, daughter church St.

Ocular involvement in tuberculoid leprosy--a case report.

Leprosy is rarely diagnosed in our part of the world. In our 26-year-old patient, borderline lepromatous leprosy was first diagnosed in 1992 and was treated with Rifoldin, Lemprene and Dapson according to the standard WHO scheme of treatment. Ophthalmic examination showed minor epithelial lesions of the cornea in both eyes, a reduced corneal reflex in the left eye and a scleral leproma nasally and close to the limbus, also in the left eye.