History of optometria

History of Optometry David A. Goss, O.D., Ph.D. Lecture Handout Lectures in V578, Public Health Policy and the Optometric Profession November 18 and 20, 2003 Why should optometrists know about their history? 1. Optometry is, and always has been, a unique and important profession. 2. Optometry has a lot to be proud of. 3. We should learn from the past. Those who don't know history will repeat pastmistakes. 4. We should have respect for those who have contributed to our profession. __________________________________ Some topics on the history of optometry: 1. What are the origins of optometric science? a. optics b. image formation by the eye c. sensory physiology 2. When were the first spectacles made? 3. When did optometry begin? 4. When were the first optometry books published? 5. Howdoes optometry differ from medicine? 6. How did optometry develop in the United States? 7. When were the first American optometry licensure laws passed? 8. What were optometrists called before they were called optometrists? 9. When was the American Optometric Association formed and what was it originally called? 10. When did the existing American Optometry schools start, and where was the firstAmerican university affiliated optometry school? 11. What school awarded the first O.D. degree, and what schools were the last to adopt the O.D. as the professional optometry degree? 12. What was the initial stimulus for optometry to start studying ocular disease, and when were the first optometry diagnostic and therapeutic pharmaceutical agent laws passed? 13. What were oculists and what lesson doesthe history of oculists and ophthalmologists provide for optometry today? 14. What are some major optometric organizations and when did they begin? 15. When and how did the optometry school at I.U. begin?

1

History of Optometry lectures; David A. Goss, O.D., Ph.D. Learning history is more about learning from the past to guide us for the future, taking pride in those that have come beforeus, and placing what we do in its proper context, than it is about memorizing names and dates. So the list of names below is meant as a spelling guide rather than a list of names to be memorized: Aristophanes Johannes Kepler Monoyer Democritus Thomas Young John McAllister, Sr. William Porterfield Hermann von Helmholtz Benito Daza de Valdes John McAllister, Jr. James Prentice James Cook McAllisterIrvin Borish Hermann Briscoe Gordon G. Heath Euclid Sir Isaac Newton Empedocles Aristotle George Biddell Airy Christoph Scheiner Johannes Purkinje Roger Bacon William Molyneux James W. Queen Charles Prentice William Young McAllister Virgil McCleary Henry W Hofstetter Jack W. Bennett Claudius Ptolemy Snell Leucippus Alhazen Goodrich Aguillon Charles Wheatstone Rivalto Peter Brown Benjamin Pike ThomasHall Shastid John P. Davey Hermann Wells Merrill Allen

________________________________ An Invitation: One way to celebrate the unique and fascinating history of optometry is join the Optometric Historical Society. OHS publishes a quarterly newsletter filled with tidbits and information about optometry=s heritage and history. Annual membership dues are $10. Sample copies of the newsletter areavailable on my office door (room 530) and on the OHS website (see URL below). To join send your name, address, and a check for $10 made out to the Optometric Historical Society, to: Bridget Kowalczyk OHS Secretary-Treasurer International Library, Archives, and Museum of Optometry 243 North Lindbergh Boulevard St. Louis, MO 63141 Optometric Historical Society website:www.opt.indiana.edu/hndsight/index.htm

2

History of Optometry David A. Goss, O.D., Ph.D. Lecture Notes Lectures in V578, Public Health Policy and the Optometric Profession November 18 and 20, 2003

1. What are the origins of optometric science? a. Optics There is evidence that lenses for decoration existed a few thousand years BC. The ancient Greek author Aristophanes wrote in 434 BC about a burning glass. The...