Oculo-Sympathetic Syndromes.

Abstract

Following a brief history of the knowledge of the sympathetic nervous system, the anatomy is reviewed, including the sympathetic connections of the spinal cord and the cranial nerves. The second part of the book considers the functions of the neurovegetative system in general and its relation to the eye. Dilatation of the pupil accompanying pain in the pleura or abdomen is considered a type of neurovegetative reflex, as distinct from pupillary changes due to direct pressure or irritation of the cervical sympathetic. While there is no evidence that nerves exist, there can be no doubt that the neurovegetative system exerts a control on local metabolism, and that when this is removed, as by section of the fifth nerve, various disturbances described as trophic occur. The experimental and clinical results of cervical sympathectomy are reviewed. The vasomotor phenomena described, such as dilatation of the retinal vessels, are brief