With the advent, in 1927, of Gonin's1 report on a procedure for the cure of detached retina, interest in this subject was stimulated anew. Numerous reports of cases in which treatment was given have appeared in the literature, and at times some inference was made as to the etiology of the condition. Because of the time element and the rarity of cases, little has been written on biopsy or autopsy material. Exactly what occurs when a detached retina is treated has not been thoroughly studied.
With these thoughts in mind, I began this study two years ago at Northwestern University. This must be considered a preliminary report, as the investigation is still being carried on, and the results are not conclusive.
The initial problem was to produce detachment of the retina in animals.
That this was not an original idea is attested by the extensive work of Weekers.