MORE IN DEPTH DETAILS ON IRIDOLOGY..

Philipus Meyens was the first in modern history to publish a work on iridology named Chiromantia medica.

This was in 1670 in Dresden, Germany, this book made an interesting study of iris signs and its relation to illnesses and had a small map of the Iris with respective areas of some parts of the human body. Next was Johann Sigmund Eltzholtz (Nürnberg, 1695), who expanded on the studies of Meyens.

In 1813 the Viennese optician Beer wrote about iris diagnosis: "Everything which affects the organism affects the iris, it cannot remain without affecting the eye, and in reverse”.

R.Schnabet 1882-1952 is the most well-known representative of scientific eye diagnosis. He wrote three books concerning iris diagnosis.

Then, almost a century later, in Göttingen, Christian Haertls, who based his findings on the studies of Meyens and Eltzholtz, launches a controversial and important work and in 1786 another German, Doctor Härtels, published ‘de oculo et signo’, “The eye signs”

However, it was the Hungarian physician Ignatz von Peczely (1822-1911) that made Iridology known in Europe. According to history, (now viewed as a fable) von Peczely only a boy then, caught an owl and broke it’s leg in the trap Looking in the owl's eye, he saw a fine trace appear in the inferior region of the corresponding Iris of the owl. The young von Peczely was curious about the marking that appeared. He nursed the owl to good health and noticed that the trace in the Iris virtually disappeared, to leave only one very tenuous mark. He studied other authors’ works on the subject and when Peczely became a physician he developed his knowledge even more and was able to do comparative research in hospitals.

He made many discoveries and in 1881, after many difficulties, he launched his first work (Entdeckungen auf dem Gebiete der Natur- und Heilkunde – Anleitung zum Studium der Diagnose aus dem Auge). Rather a mouth full meaning. “Discovery In Natural History And Medical Science, A Guide To The Study And Diagnosis From The Eye”.

Many works on the subject have appeared later in Europe, mainly in Germany. The priest Emanuel Felke (1856-1926) made iridology more popular still and Iridology spread throughout the whole of Europe. Heinrich HENSE lived from 1868 to 1955 and was a pupil of minister Felke, while Mrs. Von Wad had a college in Dresden teaching Iridology.

In the beginning of the decade around 1900 Iridology was introduced in the United States by Dr. Nils Liljequist, a Swedish homeopath, who had noticed iris colour changes when he took medication, he may have exchanged information with von Peczely as they both worked on iris charts around the same time. It would be worth noting that 80% of the healing was done with homeopathic medicine in America at that time. It was only after allopathic doctors formed an association called “the AMA” and started to lobby politicians that slowly but surely homeopathy was replaced by allopathic medicine. IN 1904 Dr. Henry Lahn (Lane) born in Austria, writes the book "The diagnosis from the eye" in the USA. This publication makes iridology popular in the States. In more recent times it was a North American, Dr. Bernard Jensen, that developed the map of the Iris that is still in use all over the world. After Dr. Jensen’s passing his daughter-in-law Ellen Tart-Jensen has revised and updated the chart. The French physician Professor Jossin, who is regarded as a pioneer of modern iridology, produced iris charts which are still in use today. The following names are also worth mentioning: To Dr. Kritzer, Farida Davidson, Harry Wolf, Dorothy Hall and Paul Angeren, all well-respected teachers of iridology.

Meanwhile without much knowledge in the West in Russia iridology has been practiced widely. Being cheap and quick this form of diagnosis must have appealed to the Russian institutions at the time. Bulgaria had its own Iridology master: "Petar Dimkov lived from1886 - 1981. He finished the military college in St Petersburg.

Despite receiving multiple gun shot wounds during the war he followed in the family tradition and practiced alternative medicine"- A book with his findings was published in 1998 and some unpublished works have been found, which may still be translated into English.

With communication being less restrictive now, much of the information and some charts of the former USSR have made it to the West.

Iridology was given a boost when In Germany between 1950 and 1954 when clinical studies on 640 patients were conducted by Dr. Walter Lang and Joseph Deck in the hospital in Karlsruhe under the supervision of Dr. Vida. The patients where diagnosed by iridology as well as by traditional means.

The reliability was found to be around 75% At that time. However, a follow-up study found that in the next 5 years 95% of the findings had eventuated!