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Harry H. Mark, MD, FACS

Arch Ophthalmol. 2009;127(9):1215-1217.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

INTRODUCTION

Two men in the annals of ophthalmology are probably better known to gardeners than to ophthalmologists, namely, Leonard Fuchs (1501-1566) and Johann Gottfried Zinn (1727-1759), whose names were given to flowers. Their interest in flowers and plants arose from the fact that botany used to be an integral part of the basic curriculum of medicine, next to anatomy and physiology, given that almost the entire pharmacopeia consisted of plants and their extracts.

Before Fuchs and Zinn, one part of the eye, the iris, had already shared its name with a flower. In Greek mythology, Iris was the name of a beautiful messenger between the Olympian gods and human beings, one who, according to legend, descended to earth on the rainbow. In other legends, she wore a multicolored garment. In any case, her name is ascribed to the many colors of the rainbow. In the eye, . . . [Full Text of this Article]

AUTHOR INFORMATION

Author Affiliation: Dr Mark is in private practice in New Haven, Connecticut.

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