The Bristol Eye Hospital—An Historical Perspective

eases so prevalent amongst the poor, notably the infectious disease of Egyptian Ophthalmia (Trachoma) and Smallpox. Considerable anxiety was expressed in the early years of the hospital about the incidence of Smallpox and the failure of the poor in the City to have adequate vaccination in spite of its proven efficacy. In the first half of the nineteenth century smallpox was a major cause of blindness. Some two thousand patients a year attended the Outpatient Department and a few were admitted for inpatient care. Surgical treatment for condi-