Ocular protheses in original boxes

Historical Significance: A search of Trove finds advertisements in Perth newspapers Aug 30 1931, Oct 15 1943 and June 10 1947 for E Scheler artificial eye maker practising in Perth. He died in Adelaide, South Australia, on 4 April 1988. A website for Cos-Medic Artificial Eyes at http://www.artificialeyes.com.au/history.html, sighted August 2 2016, reports in a history of artificial eyes that 'In Australia a lot of glass eyes were manufactured by a German ocularist, Mr Scheler who travelled the country and manufactured custom eyes. He also produced a stock eye (or pre-made eye) and goes on to say that 'hundreds of these stock glass eyes were distributed by optometrists, and patients would be fitted with the best that could be found from 'off the shelf'.' In an ABC broadcast on Stateline South Australia broadcast on 11/4/2003 Patrick Emmett interviews Paul McClarin, a glass eye maker, and reports that McClarin was taught glass eye making by Erwin Scheler. See http://www.abc.net.au/stateline/sa/content/2003/s830589.htm. As glass eyes are hollow and very fine there have been some cases were this type of eye has been known to implode. The Advertiser (Adelaide) March 13 1953 reports an incident when a boy's glass eye made by E. Scheler exploded. See also booklet on the history of ocular protheses Cat No 1843.