THE EYES OF THE VICTIMS.

Manawatu Herald, 21 January 1899, Page 2

THE EYES OF THE VICTIMS.

The suggestion that the human eye retains an impression of the last object whicih it fe9ted upon, and that a photographic examination of the eyes of the unfortunate victims of the Gatton tragedy might lead to the clearing up of the mystery, meets with no encouragement from the medical faculty, says a Sydney papleY. Dr W. Odillo Maher the ophthalmic surgeon, when" spoken to on the matter by a reporter, simply shook his head, and said, " There's nothing in it." Dr James Graham, M.L.A., characterissd the theory as 14 mythical — absolute rubbish." " Though there is some justification for the suggestion of such a theory," said Dr Philip E. Muskett, •• the idea has long ago been proved fallacious as regards its value in such cases as that which occurred at Gatton. Henry Power, M.D., F.R.C.S., who is ophthalmic surgeon to St. Bartholomew's Hospital in London, and a recognised authority on all matters affecting the eye," continued Dr Muskett, "has discountenanced the theory. He says : •It is impossible not to recognise the similarity that the eye, as a whole, presents to a photographic apparatus. The globle itself is a camera obscura, from which rays of light are excluded, other than those passing through a lens, which are destined to form a picture of the outer world on the retina. The retina is a sensitised plate, upon which the picture is received, the lights bleaching it rapidly, while the shadows produce but slight changes in it. In health, however, there is no fixing of the image, and retaining it for future use. If retained at all, the picture is retained on the tyblets of the brain, whence it may be recalled b)s an act of memory. But that the bleaching action really occurs has been demonstrated by placing the eye of a rabbit with widely dilated pupil before a window. Then, the animal being quickly killed, and the retina exposed under monochromatic light, the image has been fixed by plunging it into a little weak alum and water. Thus, after the lapse of even a day or two, if preserved from the light, the retina has exhibited the cross bars of the window. This experiment gave rise to the absurd story current some years ago to the effect that, in cases of murder, the assailant might be recognised by the image preserved on the retina of the victim. It will, however, be seen from the above that it would be necessary that the light of day should be immediately excluded, and that special measures be adopted to preserve the picture.' I am therefore afraid," concluded Dr Muskett, that the perpetrators of the Gatton murders will not be discovered in that manner. In such a case, however, it is worth while to inquire into every suggestion put forward, and, though the eye theory was exploded some years ago, it certainly justified investigation.