The development as well as the usage of the ophthalmic equipment has had a major role of the ophthalmologist. The discussion today would concern few of the important figures whose valuable contribution have upgraded and advanced ophthalmology. Jan Evangelista Purkinje is the first on the list.
Purkinje was born in the year 1787, and is famous for Purkinje’s images and Purkinje’s cells. The Czech nationalist, Purkinje was regular in participating in the scholarly thinking. A huge number of subjects grabbed his attention. Few of the works of Shakespeare have also been translated into Czech by him.
Purkinje had an inventive and innovative approach which made him go through experimenting on his body a number of times. The Breslau University, in Prussia, had its first department of physiology started by Purkinje. What fascinated him more was sight on which he tried numerous drugs in order to study the effect on vision. Belladonna was his favorite.
He made a revolutionary contribution to development and advancement of the ophthalmic equipment. The cells he discovered were named Purkinje’s cells which are neurons or nerve cells in the cortex of cerebral cortex. There are a number of branches coming out of these cells. The Purkinje fibers, also found by him, are tissues in the ventricular chamber of human heart. This acts as the pacemaker. It was he who had found the sweat glands or germinal vesicles and also discovered that finger prints can be used for identification.
To simply say that he had sound knowledge in physiology would be an understatement. Purkinje always showcased an interest in exploring the body along with its functions. This may be one reason why his influence was strong in development of the ophthalmic equipment. He studied the body in a number of ways.
He aso discovered that Purkinje’s cells are among the largest of the neurons. They are complex cells having numerous dendritic spines. The malformation of such cells in humans can affect the perceptibility of people in determining their distance from the objects.
Another significant discovery is Purkinje’s images. These are reflections of the objects from the structures in the eyes. This also inspired the creation and development of the ophthalmic equipment in a number of ways.
Purkinje shift that was also discovered by Purkinje, describes the change in the brightness of the blue and the red colors as the light becomes less intense with dusk every day.
He had also been a very early adopter of compound microscope. Purkinje died in the year 1868.
Picture credit: Wikipedia.
Article has been contributed by Vision Systems Inc (http://www.patternless.com/), an industry leader in pre-owned optical equipment. Located in Tarpon Springs, Florida.