Morton's Ophthalmoscope, Cased

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 price list 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-illuminated 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.This ophthalmoscope was purchased in Melbourne by Roy Workman. The 1936 Victorian Opticians Register lists only one optometrist with the initials M.H.B.: Michael Henry Lee Bernstein (Reg. No. 204) and this ophthalmoscope may have belonged to him. Registration documents show him to be solely occupied as an optometrist and registered under Section 8 of the Opticians Registration Act 1936 on the basis of experience rather than academic qualification. His experience included 4 years 8 months as an employee [John Browning 182 Collins Street,(8 months, Craig W'son 4 years)] and 3 years as a principal '[Unspecified Melbourne address 2 years, 256 Collins Street (Longines Building) 1 year]