The COGWHEEL phenomenon of the eyes merits further study because of its clinical significance. There is no article on this subject in English. The only comprehensive résumé is one in German by Cords,1 published as "Pathologie der Führungsbewegungen" and consequently completely overlooked for a number of years. The cogwheel phenomenon of the eyes is not mentioned at all in most of the neuroophthalmologic texts, such as those of Wilbrand and Sänger,2 Posey and Spiller,3 Lapersonne and Cantonnet,4 Rea5 and Lyle.6 Spiegel and Sommer7 and Kyrieleis8 mentioned it as occurring in postencephalitic paralysis agitans. Adrogué9 (1942) referred to the work of Cords.
Javal10 reported in 1879 that Lamare observed that ocular movements in reading are not smooth or gliding. They are interrupted by "saccadic" movements (Duke-Elder11), the number of jerks remaining constant even though the distance of the text from