The effect of local anaesthetics upon the conjunctivitis caused by mustard oil

Abstract

Spiess1 and Ninian Bruce2 have shown that the oedema of the conjunctiva which can be produced by instilling mustard oil into the conjunctival sac of a rabbit, can be prevented by the instillation of 10 per cent. cocaine. Bruce interprets this action as being due to the inhibition of vasdilator axon reflexes to the capillaries and smaller arterioles, and he found that if the ophthalmic nerve was cut before applying mustard oil oedema could then be produced only during the period in which the vasodilator fibers were still undegenerated, and a sufficient time were allowed for the vasodilator nerves to degenerate completely before the mustard oil was applied, oedema did not result after the instillation of mustard oil. Bruce's results have been confirmed by Bardy.1In 1917 I2 was able to demonstrate the following facts : (1) That the application of epinephrin, producing a local vaso constriction of the conjunctival vessels, inhibited the development of the oedema, for about an hour, but that after the epinephr...