TRAVELING AND RESIDENT OCULISTS IN THE 18TH-CENTURY

Background: The formation of scientific surgery in the 18th century wa s associated by the development of ophthalmology as a special branch o f medicine and accompanied with a large number of more or less qualifi ed oculists. A lot of them travelled practising throughout Europe, pro pagating their profession by handbills, announcements and booklets. In 1748 Frederick II of Prussia appointed Joseph Hillmer (born about 172 0) from Vienna, who was a contemporary of John Taylor (1703-1772) as o culist and charlatan, an ordinary professor for ophthalmiatrics at the Berlin Collegium Medico-Chirurgicum. In 1752 C. E. Eschenbach, in the course of critizing Taylor's charlatanism, had called his century the ''Okulisten-seculum''. By the way many documents on travelling oculis ts have been delivered, first of all as to the English oculist, but th e most important in medical and historical view concerning Hillmer. Ma terial and methods. Researches on 25 oculist, based on documents and n ewspapers from 1558 to 1806 (especially concentrated upon Berlin as Hi llmer's residence) reveal the transformation of the ancient ophthalmia try into ophthalmology. Results: There have been resident oculists bef ore the 18th century; their small number corresponded to the poor demo graphical situation at the time. For the last reason they practised pa rtially travelling. Local medical authorities reglemented them by perm issions for practising within a given time. Conclusions: Many propagan distic publications about oculistic charlatans, mainly from their own hand, might make us believe, above all the early ophthalmology would h ave been characterized by travelling oculists, because their respectab le and resident colleagues are documented less impressive, for the rea son that they have not made as much propaganda, as charlatans made.