[Itinerant and established oculists of the 18th century].

BACKGROUND

The formation of scientific surgery in the 18th century was associated by the development of ophthalmology as a special branch of medicine and accompanied with a large number of more or less qualified oculists. A lot of them travelled practising throughout Europe, propagating their profession by handbills, announcements and booklets. In 1748 Frederick II of Prussia appointed Joseph Hillmer (born about 1720) from Vienna, who was a contemporary of John Taylor (1703-1772) as oculist 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 oculists have been delivered, first of all as to the English oculist, but the most important in medical and historical view concerning Hillmer.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Researches on 25 oculist, based on documents and newspapers from 1558 to 1806 (especially concentrated upon Berlin as Hillmer's residence) reveal the transformation of the ancient ophthalmiatry into ophthalmology.

RESULTS

There have been resident oculists before the 18th century; their small number corresponded to the poor demographical situation at the time. For the last reason they practised partially travelling. Local medical authorities reglemented them by permission for practising within a given time.

CONCLUSIONS

Many propagandistic publications about oculistic charlatans, mainly from their own hand, might make us believe, above all the early ophthalmology would have been characterized by travelling oculists, because their respectable and resident colleagues are documented less impressive, for the reason that they have not made as much propaganda, as charlatans made.