Joseph Hasner, Ritter von Artha (13 August 1819 – 2 February 1892) was an Austrian

ophthalmologist Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgery, surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Followin ...

born in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

. His brother, Leopold Hasner von Artha (1818–1891), was an influential Austrian politician. He studied medicine at the University of Prague, and subsequently worked at the local general hospital (1842). In 1843 he was an assistant at Johann Fischer's eye clinic. In 1848 he gained his habilitation, and in 1852 he became an associate professor. From 1856 he was a "full professor" of

ophthalmology Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a medic ...

and a primary physician in Prague. Starting in 1869 he was an editor of the ''Vierteljahrsschrift für die praktische Heilkunde'' (from 1880- ''Zeitschrift für Heilkunde''). Hasner is remembered for the discovery of ''plica lacrimalis'', which is a fold of

mucous membrane A mucous membrane or mucosa is a membrane that lines various cavities in the body of an organism and covers the surface of internal organs. It consists of one or more layers of epithelial cells overlying a layer of loose connective tissue. It is ...

that guards the lower opening of the

nasolacrimal duct The nasolacrimal duct (also called the tear duct) carries tears from the lacrimal sac of the eye into the nasal cavity. The duct begins in the eye socket between the maxillary and lacrimal bones, from where it passes downwards and backwards. The ...

. This membrane goes by other names, including " Hasner's valve" and "Hasner's fold". Also, he put forth the theory that

myopia Near-sightedness, also known as myopia and short-sightedness, is an eye disease where light focuses in front of, instead of on, the retina. As a result, distant objects appear blurry while close objects appear normal. Other symptoms may include ...

was caused by stretching of the

eyeball Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and conve ...

— this being due to pulling on the

posterior pole In ophthalmology, the posterior pole is the back of the eye, usually referring to the retina between the optic disc and the macula.Cassin, B. and Solomon, S. ''Dictionary of Eye Terminology''. Gainesville, Florida: Triad Publishing Company, 1990. ...

by the

optic nerve In neuroanatomy, the optic nerve, also known as the second cranial nerve, cranial nerve II, or simply CN II, is a paired cranial nerve that transmits visual system, visual information from the retina to the brain. In humans, the optic nerve i ...

Published works

Among his numerous publications is ''Klinische Vorträge über Augenheilkunde'' (Clinical Lectures on Ophthalmology), which is a collection of Hasner's lectures on

eye diseases This is a partial list of human eye diseases and disorders. The World Health Organization publishes a classification of known diseases and injuries, the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, or ICD-10. ...

and

ophthalmoscopy Ophthalmoscopy, also called funduscopy, is a test that allows a health professional to see inside the fundus of the eye and other structures using an ophthalmoscope (or funduscope). It is done as part of an eye examination and may be done as part ...

. Other noted writings by Hasner include: * ''Beiträge zur Physiologie und Pathologie des Tränenableitungsapparats'' (Contributions to the Physiology and Pathology of the Lacrimal Drainage Apparatus), 1851 * ''Beiträge zur Physiologie und Pathologie des Auges'' (Contributions to the

Physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...

and

Pathology Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in ...

of the Eye), 1873 * ''Über die Grenzen der Akkommodation des Auges'' (On the Limits of Accommodation of the Eye), 1875 * ''Das mittlere Auge in seinen physiologischen und pathologischen Beziehungen'' (The Median Eye in its Physiological and Pathological Relationships), 1879 * ''Die Verletzungen des Auges in gerichtsärztlicher Beziehung'' (The Injuries of the Eye in Forensic Medical Relationships), In: Maschka's Handbuch der gerichtlichen Medizin, Tübingen 1880 * ''Tycho Brahe und I. Kepler in Prag'' (

Tycho Brahe Tycho Brahe ( ; born Tyge Ottesen Brahe; generally called Tycho (14 December 154624 October 1601) was a Danish astronomer, known for his comprehensive astronomical observations, generally considered to be the most accurate of his time. He was k ...

and I. Kepler in Prague), 1872

References

The Bernard Becker Collection in Ophthalmology
(biographical information) * List of publications and parts of the biography based on a translation of the

German Wikipedia The German Wikipedia (german: Deutschsprachige Wikipedia) is the German-language edition of Wikipedia, a free and publicly editable online encyclopedia. Founded on March 16, 2001, it is the second-oldest Wikipedia (after the English Wikipedia), ...

; named sources being: **

Meyers Konversations-Lexikon ' or ' was a major encyclopedia in the German language that existed in various editions, and by several titles, from 1839 to 1984, when it merged with the '. Joseph Meyer (1796–1856), who had founded the publishing house in 1826, intended t ...

. 4. Auflage. Band 8, Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig 1885–1892, S. 203. **

Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie ''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' (ADB, german: Universal German Biography) is one of the most important and comprehensive biographical reference works in the German language. It was published by the Historical Commission of the Bavarian Aca ...

(ADB). Band 50, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1905, S. 54. 1819 births 1892 deaths 19th-century Austrian people 19th-century Czech people Austrian ophthalmologists Charles University alumni Academic staff of Charles University Habsburg Bohemian nobility German Bohemian people Physicians from Prague {{Austria-med-bio-stub