Morton's Ophthalmoscope

Historical Significance: Helmholtz was the first to observe the human fundus with his Augenspiegel in 1851. Morton's ophthalmoscope was in the Curry and Paxton pricelist in London in 1883. Morton described his model to the Ophthalmological Society of the United Kingdom in January 1885. Morton used the lens arrangement that another ophthalmologist, John Couper, had reported in 1883. In 1882 George Lindsay Johnson of London introduced an ophthalmoscope with two mirrors fixed to a plate that could be rotated around a central pivot. In this way each mirror could be positioned quickly behind the sight hole with the smaller 3-inch focal length mirror rotatable around itself for left or right positioning. Later variations of this model featured three or four mirrors, in pairs back-to-back. Andrew Stanford Morton also of London adopted this system and popularised the non-illuminous and self-illuminated ophthalmoscopes bearing his name for over 40 years, but it was not so much the mirror arrangement as the elongated track of lenses for which he is best known. Educated at Edinburgh and University College, London. Dr Morton (1848 - 1927) qualified M.B.Edin., in 1874, and took the F.R.C.S.Eng., in 1888. His first ophthalmic appointment House Surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital. As Clinical Assistant at Moorfields he served for the extremely long period of sixteen years before he was elected to the staff. Before this he had held the post of Surgeon to the Royal Eye Hospital, Southwark, and at a later date, that of Ophthalmic Surgeon to the Great Northern Hospital, while rather late in life he accepted the post of Ophthalmic Surgeon to the Italian Hospital. Morton's fame will last as long as the ophthalmoscope which bears his name endures;