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The Society's archives

2002; Wiley; Volume: 80; Issue: s234 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1034/j.1600-0420.80.s234.5.x

1600-0420

M. S. Norn,

Ophthalmology and Visual Health Research

In 1953 the Professor of Medical History at that time, Edvard Gotfredsen, had already offered to move the Danish Ophthalmological Society's archives to the Medical History Museum. The move was not, however, effected until very recently. The archives are now to be found in the museum's attic at Titgenbygningen in Bredgade 62, Copenhagen. The archives also house other medical societies' archives and records, including those of the General Hospital [Almindeligt Hospital], and research minutes such as those of Marius Tscherning from Rigshospitalet. The Society's archives are in the original steel filing cabinets, each with four drawers (Fig. 1). If the drawers are designated horizontally by letters and vertically by numbers, starting from the top left-hand corner, Drawer A2 contains two interesting sets of minutes. Danish Ophthalmological Society's archives, with the first three minutes on top. Both minutes books are thick, heavy, large (36 × 22.5 × 3.0 cm) and bound rigidly in black. The first is handwritten, from the first meeting on 17 October 1990 to the 23 February 1929 meeting of Det Oftalmologiske Selskab i Kjøbenhavn [the Ophthalmological Society, Copenhagen] (note the Society's original name). They were kept painstakingly by the Minutes Secretary, and signed by the Chairman and the Minutes Secretary after each meeting. The Society's accounts were entered at the back of the minutes (Fig. 2). Rules for the Society in the minutes for 8 May 1900, and an envelope and letter to the President found in the minutes. The other minutes book, just as voluminous, goes up to 21 March 1952, including the 157th meeting, unfortunately without signatures, from 1937. The third set of minutes, 1952–71, often consist of typed, pasted-in sheets. They are to be found in Drawer B3. The remainder of the Society's records is to be found in folders (see Fig. 1). Drawers A2, B3 and D4 contain a number of photographs. In 1923, Professor Edmund (Jensen) proposed the establishment of a portrait collection of the Society's members. Meisling announced that this had already existed since 1902, according to the minutes. The collection seems to have largely disappeared. Drawers B1 and D1 contain NOLR (Nordic Ophthalmological Literature Ring), and Drawers C2–4 and D2–3 contain correspondence. According to the minutes, the first meetings were held at Medicinsk Selskab's [the Medical Society's] premises at ‘Standard’ (Fig. 3). The Medical Society rented premises at Kongens Nytorv no. 6, Øst Skt. Annae Quarter, next to the French Embassy on the corner of Bredgade, i.e. in the north-east corner of Kongens Nytorv near Nyhavn. The building bearing ‘our’ localities, Land Register no. 206, was built in 1896, and from 1899 to 1911 was owned by the Standard insurance company, later Skandinavia, then by Sønderjysk Sparekasse [savings bank], then by Sothersby, and from 1991 by the European Environmental Agency (3, 4). The first DOS meeting was held in the Standard building (centre of photograph). The French Embassy, Bredgade and Nyhavn are on the right. Entrance to the Standard building (photograph 2000). According to the minutes, the Ophthalmological Society's meetings were held on the mezzanine floor in the closed-off green room. After the meetings dinner was served in the red room, which was not, however, closed off. The date for the meeting had to be agreed in advance with the Medical Society's inspector. It appears that the meetings were held without interruption, whereas the meal was a more informal, collegial gathering. Here, minutes were written and signed immediately (by Bjerrum and Lundsgaard at the first meeting, in which 15 of the Society's 20 members participated). The 26th meeting (14 February 1906) was held elsewhere, i.e. at Kommunehospitalet [the Municipal Hospital], where Bentzen presented the eye clinic's premises. At the following meeting Bentzen was elected Chairman and Høeg Secretary. Until as late as 1921 meetings continued to be held at Standard, with a few at Rigshospitalet (for example, a party for Professor Fuchs). The annual rental for the premises was 25 kr for 1900, which covered six meetings. This seemingly modest amount corresponds to about 1050 kr at today's prices (Statistical Annual 1997). In 1905 the cost rose to 30 kr. because the domestic help, Madame Thomsen, received 10 kr. In 1919 the total amount increased to 125 kr. A record of extra expenditure in 1933 showed: hire of epidiascope 14 kr and cigars for the meeting 39.50 kr (equivalent to 350 kr and 989 kr, respectively, today). The Society was not simply a scientific society, but was also an organization corresponding very largely to the present-day ophthalmologists' organization. It was agreed as early as the Society's third meeting that a fee of no less than 15 øre a year should be requested from each member of the National Health Insurance. Husband and wife fortunately counted as two. This is equal to over 6 kr in today's money. These health insurance rates had already been negotiated on 8 May 1900 with Minister [statsråd] Dahlerup, who did not, however, condescend to reply to Professor Bjerrum's kind invitation to the Society's fourth meeting on 13 February 1901. In 1907 the fee remained unchanged, which means that 3000 National Health Insurance members paid 450 kr (equivalent to 6 kroner per patient treated). A young ophthalmologist (Rønne) and Heerfordt considered this to be far too low, whereas Edmund seemed to have been content. An increase to 25 øre was discussed. In 1900, subscriptions to the Society totalled 90 kr, i.e. 5 kr per member, equivalent to 210 kr in today's money. Many events concerning the society have been celebrated. During the 50th meeting on 4 March 1911 at Restaurant Nimb, with 12 members and some spouses, there were three speeches (Lundsgaard for Bjerrum, Edmund for Lundsgaard and Rønne for the women), and the song written for the occasion was sung: ‘Of Chairmen we have had…’[‘Af formænd har vi haft…’]. The names of participants are in the minutes (5, 6). Postcard found in the minutes addressed to Professor K.K.K. Lundsgaard, with drawings and 14 names of Society members. Calling of members to meetings 1911. The 5th anniversary was celebrated at Rigshospitalet, with 24 members and two guests (31 October). The 150th meeting was celebrated at Nimb on 20 October 1928, with 18 members and 19 ladies, seven speeches, a song (to the tune: ‘I Byens Larm Regensen stod: I denne Vinter har vi haft…’) and dancing until 2.30 a.m. The 250th meeting was in a Nordic mood (cf. later). The 300th meeting coincided with the Society's 50th anniversary on 21 April 1951, with a reception at Rigshospitalet's Eye Department and a celebratory supper at Restaurant Sølyst, where J. Edmund and P.M. Møller sang and C. Edmund commented on the Østerberg drawings (cf. Mellemgaard, this Supplement, p. 20). At the Christmas meeting in 1966, H. Ehlers gave a talk on tears. In 1970 there was a banquet at Nyhavn no. 10 [notice of participation to Mrs Topp (H. Ehlers and the Society's Secretary) kr 26]. Banquets were, in fact, held more often at Restaurant Botanique. On 4 April 1970, the new Institute for the Blind at Rymarksvej was presented, with three lectures (H. Skydsgaard, Director H. Seierup and Mette Warburg). The 400th meeting in 1965 offered dinner at Domus Medica (building of the mutual Danish Medical Society), with an unforgettable performance by P.M. Møller and Jens Edmund [prologue, Bjerrum Commemorative Lecture No. Zero, The Spectacle Bar, US interview, ‘Guldhornene’ (The Golden Horns) by Adam Øjenlæger (translator's note: Pun on famous Danish author's name: Øhlenschlæger: Øjenlæge means ophthalmologist)]. It is customary for a commemorative speech to be given by the Chairman for deceased members, and everyone stands. On 30 April 1913 the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Grut's Havnegade clinic was commemorated. This was to be the university's first eye clinic. Everyone stood, and a wreath was placed on Grut's grave. It is indeed fortunate that one of the founders of the Society was a medical history expert, i.e. Gordon Norrie. He has published Den danske oftalmologis historie indtil år 1900[The History of Danish Ophthalmology up to 1900]. Norrie (1925). At the anniversary in 1950, 73 copies of Norrie's book remained. These are entered under the Society's assets at 146 kr. The next year, four copies were sold at kr 2 – equivalent to 22 kr in today's money, but the price of the book would probably be over 220 kr for the 220 pages – in other words, the book is invaluable today to anyone interested in the profession of ophthalmology. The study of archives covers more than minutes. There are also many interesting loose leaves. A letter of 15 December 1950 from Hertz shows that Høgh was to write the Society's 50th anniversary paper. There are many small drafts on 10 × 16 cm paper, probably torn from a notebook, containing many details, summaries of meetings and of members. If Høeg's handwriting is compared with Lottrup-Andersen's, it will be seen that the notes must be Høeg's. In Høeg, for example, ‘d’ and ‘s’ slide into each other at the top, while Lottrup puts a line (umlaut) above all letters ‘u’. There is a letter dated 11 December 1950 from the Society's Chairman, Victor Larsen, to Høeg: ‘… at the same time, I want to thank you for having agreed to write the History of the Ophthalmological Society. We are lucky to have in you a member who participated in the founding of the Society. How could we find a better man… Happy Christmas and a bright and prosperous New Year.’ Comment: at the time, only 4 months remained until the anniversary was to be celebrated. At a meeting of the Society (date unknown), Høeg had given his promise. Victor Larsen is incorrect in stating that Høeg participated in the founding of the Society. He did not become a member until 27 November 1901. In another letter the Society's Secretary, S. Ry Andersen, wrote: ‘Dear Dr Høeg, Please return this minute when you have finished with it. The rest is not all that urgent…’. Dr Høeg's wife, Ulla, wrote the following in a beautiful script, dated 5 January 1951: ‘Unfortunately…major operation…cancer of the stomach, but Consultant Surgeon Prip Buus says that everything was removed and it had not spread… A blood transfusion was given… We do hope he will get over it’, and finally on 17 January 1951: ‘Thank you for the beautiful wreath…I am sending you the enclosed records (notes referred to covering 1900–30, number of members, list of Board members, joint meetings, parties, statistics), if they can be used for the coming work.’ Høeg was commemorated by the Chairman at the Society's 298th meeting on 10 February 1951, according to custom without mention in the minutes. Comment: Høeg died on 12 January 1951 at Horsens. Lottrup-Andersen continued work on the anniversary book without mentioning Høeg's contribution (Lottrup- Andersen 1952). Høeg was probably the Society's first brilliant illustrator (cf. retinal illustrations in the Scandinavian Ophthalmiatrics Textbook). Our visual profession has since had many illustrators (Johs. Kjølbye, Gustav Østerberg, etc.). This covers the period 1950–92 (Godtfredsen et al. 1994). It was edited by the Historical Committee of the Society. Thomas Rosenberg took over the necessary prefix: features of the title, The History of Ophthalmology in Denmark. The book was written by the respective Chairmen/Secretaries for the periods concerned and were therefore very different, not only characteristic of the period but also indirectly of the author. In addition, there are a number of special sections (theses, biographies). The History Committee consisted of Erik Godtfredsen, M. Norn, T. Rosenberg and P. Kjer, and later Lis Mellemgaard. Historical sessions of the Committee have also been arranged during Scandinavian meetings, as well as cooperation with NOFHIST (Scandinavian Ophthalmo-historical Group), which was inspired by Otto Johansen, Oslo (Johansen et al. 2001). Meetings were announced by postcard to members. From the very beginning, the minutes were prepared by the Secretary and approved by the lecturer before publication in Hospitalstidende[Hospital Journal] (first published on 21 November 1900). To improve the lively discussion, which followed a lecture, Edmund Jensen proposed in 1904 (23rd meeting) that: ‘Discussions can be postponed until the following meeting, and consequently the lecturer must distribute his manuscript among those who wished to take part in the discussion’. Bjerrum, however, considered that this would be difficult from a practical viewpoint. Edmund's proposal was nevertheless adopted. Summaries of lectures and discussions are published in Hospitalstidende as brief Society reports. The Secretary took notes during the meeting. The minutes contained pencil drafts with drawings, caricatures on the Ophthalmological Society in Copenhagen's paper, after which the draft was entered in the minutes in abbreviated form. In 1935 the Board was required to turn its attention to the content and headings of the lectures published in the Society's report. Misleading headings such as ‘Can black cataract be healed?’ should be avoided, having regard to the daily press which had just given an incorrect account of Sander Larsen's lecture on 10 December 1933. In 1948 (7 February) the Chairman, H. Ehlers, was requested to submit reports of lectures and contributions in compressed form in view of the shortage of paper after the War. In 1951 the editor of Nordisk Medicin criticized our Society reports. Nordisk Medicin had taken over publication. They were often submitted on loose pieces of paper with only one contribution to the discussion, although many took part. A summary of 300 words was now requested, and contributions to discussion of 150 words ‘as a guide’. In April 1957 K. Dreisler suggested that meetings should be tape-recorded, which was effected from October of that year. As far as I know, they have not been preserved. The manuscript by H. Seierup, President of the Danish Society for the Blind, at the 347th meeting was available only in Braille. The Society's reports were published subsequently in Acta Ophthalmologica. It is still true that they are difficult to extract from lecturers, participants and in some cases even from the Secretary representing the Society. The Nyborg meetings (further and supplementary training) with a list of participants for 1964, 1966, 1968 and 1969 were published. The latter meeting had 90 participants. Contributions to discussion were often elegant, beginning with praise for the lecturer followed by criticism, perhaps negative criticism so camouflaged that only a few recognize the sting. In some cases, the negative criticism has been less diplomatic: ‘A hell of a difference’ describing younger doctors' demand for a fee increase (4 December 1907). Lundsgaard considered that the young Doctor Henning Rønne was sabre-rattling. Rønne: ‘We will fight for our daily bread!’. Heerfordt was criticized for false advertising in the daily press: ‘To create a scientific halo’, declared Høeg critically, recorded in the minutes but omitted in the Society negotiations (cf. Ry Andersen's article, this Supplement, p. 9). At the meeting on 25 May 1929 at Rigshospitalet, cornea-suture at cataract extraction submitted by Stranbygaard was under discussion. Lundsgaard thought that the method had no future, but Sander Larsen opposed Lundsgaard: ‘The operation Lundsgaard is performing dates from the last century’. Sander Larsen was called to order by the Society's Chairman. After Brøns' lecture on treatment for conjunctivitis on 18 December 1937 (so close to Christmas), the discussion related to, inter alia, a sodium chloride injection in the temple with allegedly excellent results with regard to blepharospasm and photophobia. Professor Edmund thought ‘your faith has saved you’, and E. Holm thought that the therapist's enthusiasm had played a part. Today, we refer to it as the placebo effect and require a double-blind test. On 14 December 1940, Rønne declared that the otologist N.R. Blegvad's ‘idea of ophthalmologists’ therapy is somewhat antiquated'. Probe treatment gave excellent results by simple strictures. V. Clemmesen's lecture, ‘Nordiske Synsstyrkeproblemer’[‘Nordic problems of visual acuity’] (23 February 1946) caused ‘merriment’, following P. Ladekarl's comment: ‘Do we have to aim for agreement with the Swedes?’ At the meeting on 8 November 1950, Brøns refused to be elected as the Society's archivist. The problem was omitted from the minutes. During patient demonstrations in 1953, 25 patients divided into seven groups appeared at Rigshospitalet on 12, December. In 1959 a large number still appeared, but discussion during these meetings between ophthalmologists often concerned their new cars rather than professional matters. Contributions to discussion were often too long. In 1963, Skydsgaard proposed ‘that seats be provided with press-buttons. If 50% of buttons are depressed, lecturer and lectern disappear through a trapdoor in the floor.’ The Ophthalmological Society of Copenhagen had only a few members in the provinces. A meeting in the provinces in 1922 was cancelled because only three members appeared. As early as 1923 H. Rønne proposed, in consideration of provincial members, a change of name to the Danish Ophthalmological Society. This was adopted, but having regard to the imminent 25th anniversary (Meisling) and the Swedish colleagues (Ask and Edmund) it was rejected at the subsequent extraordinary meeting on the grounds that a name should not be changed without urgent reason (Lundsgaard). In 1946 (November), Johs. Kjølbye, from Kolding, objected to the specialist statutes for ophthalmologists because the registrar training on major private wards was not credited. Kjølbye was, however, prevented from appearing (busy practice in Kolding), but at the following meeting a committee was established and it was finally accepted that Kjølbye's viewpoint was correct. Much could be learnt in the provinces, often from independent work. Not until 1952 was the name changed to Dansk Oftalmologisk Selskab (DOS) [Danish Ophthalmological Society]. At the same meeting, the relationship with the Danish Medical Society was again discussed (founded in 1907), which required compulsory subscription. For this reason, Rønne resigned from the Board but was persuaded to continue as an ordinary member of DOS. The first meeting of Nordic ophthalmologists was held in Stockholm on 7–9 June 1900, i.e. just over 4 months before the first meeting of our Danish Society. There were only a few Danish participants, including Edmund Hansen Grut. The Stockholm meeting is not recorded in our minutes, but dinners with colleagues Widmark and ‘old Nordenson’ are mentioned. Copenhagen was adopted as the host town on the next occasion. The date was discussed. Grut preferred 1902, when ‘I can probably participate … next year, I don’t know'. Bjerrum was accepted into the Planning Committee. Grut was worried about finances, but his mind was put at rest on 3 December 1902 when 32 members joined with contributions totalling 1800 kr (76 000 kr in today's money). Grut wanted the number of women restricted to one per outside participant (for women, read conference escorts). Finally, an accounting surplus of 423.57 kr was achieved. The meeting was held on 11–13 June 1903, and Grut did not die until 1907. The end of the German occupation on 5 May 1945 was printed in the otherwise stylish minutes in large letters under Skydsgaard's signature for the 252nd meeting. Chairman C. Edmund opened the meeting on 6 October 1945 by ‘expressing our joy at meeting in a free Denmark’. The 250th meeting (in fact no. 255, but so as to be a jubilee meeting the number was changed) was celebrated at Park Restaurant, Østerbrogade 79, in full evening dress. There were 104 Nordic participants, the Norwegian and Swedish national anthems were sung standing, 14 speeches were given and it continued after 10.00 p.m. in four private homes (Edmund, H.U. Møller, Lawaetz, Brændstrup). The 250th meeting itself was held modestly during the Occupation on 10 December 1944 at Rigshospitalet, followed by lunch for the 24 participants at Restaurant Botanique, Farimagsgade. On 13 June 1949, about 20 English colleagues headed by Sir Stewart Duke-Elder paid a visit. The invitation reads ‘Remember ration cards!’ There was, of course, still a shortage of food, and we still had ration cards. In 1929, V. Hertz spoke in Domus Medica about his two first trips as a consultant to Greenland (1926 and 1928), with slides. At the same location, Lawaetz spoke of his 5 months as a travelling eye specialist in Greenland, with film and colour slides. The Secretary (P. Brændstrup) said, ‘We felt a desire to travel ourselves and an urge to improve and rectify the faults – a glorious evening (open sandwiches, coffee, liqueurs, and several speeches). In 1952 E. Skeller spoke about, inter alia, the Angmagssalik Eskimos’ anthropometry and eye refraction, with Hertz and Viggo A. Jensen participating in the discussion. In Domus Medica, on 5 January 1952, K.K. Dreisler reported on his work as an eye specialist in Abyssinia. V. Clemmesen spoke about, inter alia, Tunisia (1960) and Greenland (1958, 1962), S. Ry Andersen about the USA (1959), and during the same year V. Møller-Christensen about leprosy in the Far East (Professor of Medical History, University of Copenhagen). Isaac C. Michelson, Jerusalem, reported on ophthalmology in Africa in 1967. On 4 November 1908, Lindgren proposes that car drivers should obtain a certificate of ‘normal visual fields in both eyes and a certain visual acuity’. Electric tram drivers already had certificates corresponding to those of master mariners, which had to be renewed every 5 years. The visual requirement was specified at the next meeting as at least 1/2 on one eye and at least 1/4 on the other without correction. There was obviously no reliance on the car driver using his long-distance spectacles. In 1931 (28 March) there was a toss of a coin concerning a member for a committee on vision certificates for car drivers. O. Blegvad won, H.U. Møller was let off. Lundsgaard joined the two-man committee. This was the last record in the minutes referring to Lundsgaard. Møller joined the committee on Lundsgaard's death. In 1948 (7 February), Heegaard mentioned colleagues who issued certificates despite knowing that the visual requirements laid down had not been met. This applied to navigation certificates. C.J. Møllenbach, who was an eye specialist and was also employed by the Danish National Health Service, announced a new certificate to be signed by the person examined to avoid a normally sighted locum seeing the applicant. It seems that a great deal of cheating with regard to sight certificates occurred in the past. Jørn Boberg-Ans (1916–84) showed films about flight requirements: Lawaetz reproached the lecturer for using prism degrees, angles and prism diopters at random. At a meeting on 17 April 1943 at the Ophthalmic Department at the Finsen Institute, with two engineers who were experts in lighting strength at the workplace etc., Rønne concluded during the discussion that he was ‘horrified at the International Standardization on Lighting at Work … They allow themselves to add to and multiply impressions’. In 1951 there was a joint meeting with the Lighting Engineering Society on Street and Road Lighting at Ingeniørhuset. Here, Victor Larsen stated during a discussion with engineers and police officers that he was ‘in favour of crossing on an amber light at traffic signals’. The following was added in pencil in the minutes: ‘If the road is free’. The episode gave rise to a verse at the Ophthalmological Society's 50-year jubilee party at Sølyst: Her har vi gult lys, og her har vi Larsen [Here we have an amber light and here we have Larsen]. Her har vi panser, og her kommer faren [Here we have coppers, and here comes danger] (Jens Edmund). Co-operation with the Lighting Engineering Society continued. On 6 December 1947, a meeting on letterpress printing was held with experts Consultant Moesgreen and Architect Professor Steen Ejler Rasmussen. The former referred to the Danish Doctor Schou's call for easily read print in the Hospitalstidende[Hospital Journal] 1906: letter size, distance, line distance and length, type of paper and colour, etc. An aesthetic, suitable and legible type was required. V. Clemmesen mentioned work on new psychotechnical types. The problem of lighting and script is still topical, with data screen and superfluous waste of colour in printed matter and on certificates. It is hard for the visually impaired to cope. In 1923 (14 April), Professor Edmund read out an ‘improper’ advertisement by Optician Cornelius Knudsen: ‘We refer you to eye specialists of high standing’. During the subsequent discussion, however, many were in favour of cooperation with opticians. In 1928 (28 February) the Danish National Health Service requested that a record be made of incidents where opticians, through their undertakings, kept patients away from eye specialists to the detriment of the patient. At the next meeting, Lundsgaard announced that opticians did not respect our prescriptions; they referred to a specific eye specialist and took adjustment to glass eyes (prostheses) from us. A ‘committee’ was established consisting of Lundsgaard himself, Edmund and the Society's Chairman and Secretary. Twenty-two months later, the committee had not yet received a reply to its letter to the Danish National Health Service. Lundsgaard criticized an interview given by Cornelius Knudsen, who in referring to myopia showed that ‘he is completely ignorant of the anatomic arrangement of the eye’. Edmund maintained that opticians were extorting from patients in a quite shameless manner (perhaps financially?). Tranegaard displayed a ‘standing’ advertisement in which an optician advertised quite flagrantly. Three years later, we are informed that the Danish National Health Service found it difficult to take action against opticians in a case reported by Harald Larsen. At the Nordic meeting in Stockholm in June 1935, it was agreed that: the activities of independent ‘refractioning’ opticians represented a danger to health; opticians should be denied the right to examine spectacle lenses on their own in cases of abnormal eyes; ophthalmological societies should work against quackery in optical undertakings. During World War II there was a shortage of spectacle lenses. On 21 February 1942 the following was announced: ‘Opticians wish to have a share in the State Stockpiles. To avoid this, members are recommended to “look sympathetically on requests from opticians for less deviation from prescriptions”’. The announcement was made by the Chairman, H.U. Møller, and cannot be seen to have been discussed or recorded elsewhere. Here, a minor dioptre deviation was accordingly accepted to spare the State reserve of spectacle lenses. In 1942 (3 October) the question of whether members of the Ophthalmological Society were allowed to teach opticians was discussed. Møller considered that, ‘If an optician embarks on refraction without an eye specialist he must bear the responsibility himself. It is hopeless to teach anything in a few hours.’ A committee was established, and at the subsequent general meeting the Society agreed that it ‘has no objection to an eye specialist giving a warning talk at the end of a course’. With regard to opticians, H. Ehlers also hit on an excellent slogan for eye specialists: ‘Do not take your fingers away from the spectacle case!’ Cooperating committees between opticians and eye specialists have performed great and time-consuming work since 1920, which became of more immediate importance since the appearance of contact lens in the 1950s. The result has been the authorization of opticians and of contact lens opticians, but Danish ophthalmologists teach very rarely at the opticians' colleges, where specialists called in from England and the USA have at times held forth in a somewhat sectarian manner. In 1948, Clifford Hall and Gustav Østerberg delivered a lecture on contact ‘glass’, followed by a lively discussion on, inter alia, prices (550–1000 Swedish kr, equivalent to 13 000 kr in today's money). Skydsgaard considered that the attitude of Danish eye specialists to contact lenses was disgraceful; he implied a lack of interest – indeed, even a certain opposition. A proposal for pre-examination of contact lens candidates in order to filter-off pathological cases or regular control by an eye specialist was totally rejected by the opticians in the Cooperating Committee. The Society's minutes and reports in Library for Doctors (Bibliotek for Læger, Nordic Medicine, Acta Ophthalmologica) constitute an important source for the last 100 years of ophthalmological history. Here are just a very few random samples from the minutes (with my comments in brackets): Glaucoma: Bentzen demonstrated Holth's iridencleisis, 4 March 1908. In 1942, Rønne employed Elliot's filtration surgery, even in acute cases (in the past, before gonioscopy had been clinically employed). In 1944, Rønne declared that the patient should always carry pilocarpin powder and a glass rod for (prodromal) glaucoma treatment rather than Ejler Holm's ordination of pilocarpin eye-drops at regular intervals. (The powder gave an uncertain dosage, and was perhaps dangerous as a home treatment). Transplantation: in 1939, Albert Fischer talked about tissue cultivation, especially about explantation of eye tissue at the Carlsberg laboratory. In 1938, Professor Imre from Budapest spoke about cornea grafting; in 1942, H. Ehlers referred to five cases, and in 1945 Ehlers demonstrated one of his own cases just operated on at the Institute for the Blind, where Rønne thought the operation should be centralized. Sterilization: Sæbo's report on heterogeneratio corneae progressiva, with slides, in 1936 gave rise to a proposal on sterilization to prevent ‘propagation of the kin’. At the meeting in Refsnæs on 23 November 1951, the following was established: ‘Because of frequent intermarriage among blind people, double indication is not rare… sterilization and induced abortion should be advised’ (today the eugenic viewpoint has become far more refined). Medical therapy: on 28 October 1939, Mogens Thrane demonstrated a case of oftalmia neonatorum gonorrhoica. Treatment with M and B 693 chemotherapy. On 22 February 1941 (229th meeting), Professor of Pharmacology Knud O. Møller advised against sulphonamides for local eye treatment. In 1949, Ehlers considered it reasonable to test tyrosolvin thoroughly (Lundbeck), since ‘Miracles are not valid among colleagues’. In 1950, the durability of penicillin eye drops was discussed and price increases were criticized. Rønne thought that the demand for sterility and isotony was exaggerated (theorists' reserve about antibiotics often collided with our sight-preserving therapy). Cataract: in 1934 (17 February), at the 186th meeting, eye specialist Normann-Hansen reported ex-agenda about himself as a patient: 3 weeks before the meeting his cataract was extracted on the first eye; iridectomy was felt only a little, expression somewhat more. After the operation, light in the operated eye felt strongly white, whereas it felt brown in the non-operated eye. Diabetes: Vogelius talked in 1945 about the increasing frequency of retinitis diabetica. Calmette vaccination: following Byrn's lecture in 1947 there were no fewer than 11 contributions to discussion. It was concluded that, exceptionally, reaction could occur in the eye, but not uveitis itself. Squinting: on 1 March 1950, Rigshospitalet opened an orthoptic clinic on Gerhard Rønne's initiative, with Eva Rindtziunski as orthoptist. At the meeting on 4 March, it was announced that patients of between 8 and 14 years with good vision in both eyes, but without binocular vision, were sought. One should get away from free tenotomies, according to Gerhard Rønne. At the December meeting in the same year, all participants in the discussion were in favour of a more energetic treatment of amblyopia which, however, according to Diemar, was difficult in the provinces. The above is only a small extract from the archives' ‘secrets’ as yet unpublished, with an emphasis on the first 50 years. The archives constitute a unique source for the history of the Society and of Danish ophthalmology. The archives and minutes of the Ophthalmological Society have now been donated to the Medical History Museum of the University of Copenhagen. The first two minutes in the archives are hand-written and cover the period 1900–52. The third minute, mainly typewritten, goes up to 1971. The rest consists of papers, photos, albums, correspondence, gifts etc. Also mentioned are venues for the meetings from Kongens Nytorv (Royal New Square) to various hospitals in Copenhagen etc., finances, many celebrations, meetings, demonstrations, discussions relating to papers, Nordic meetings, relations with opticians, engineers (lighting), printing and certificates (driving, seamen). The archives call for further investigation.