Instruction manual for the Javal Schiotz ophthalmometer (keratometer)

Historical Significance: Haag-Streit began in a tiny workshop in Bern, Switzerland, in 1858. Two friends - F. Hermann and H. Studer - founded a small business for mechanical precision work. Its first break through was in 1867 when it won the contract to manufacture and supply meteorologic measuring instruments to the central observatory in St. Petersburg, Russia. A few years later the company made its first steps in the field of ophthalmological instrumentation. Success was slow at first but a collaboration with Prof. Dr. Hans Goldmann, from the University of Bern, brought a break through. It became very well known for its slit lamp (first produced 1922), which became the standard instrument in the 1960s followed by the Haag Streit applanation tonometer, the Goldmann perimeter and dark adaptometer. It is now (2010) a large company with eight production companies - Haag-Streit AG, Spectros AG, Moller-Wedel GmbH, Clement Clarke Int. Ltd., John Weiss Ltd., Ipro GmbH, Moller-Wedel Optical GmBH and Reliance Inc.- and four distribution centres in Europe and the USA. It first produced a keratometer in 1890. This is Haag Streit's modern version of the Javal Schiotz keratometer. See http://www.haag-streit.com/company/history/museum.html for photographs of 1887 and 1890 version. The Kett museum has two examples of an early Genothalmic Javal Schiotz keratometer (Cat No 1315, 1316) and a Japanese modern version made by Takagi (Cat No 1106). Hans Goldmann (1899-1991) was a Swiss ophthalmologist who developed several instruments that bear his name, an applantion tonometer, a contact fundus lens, a goniolens and the three mirror lens.