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Endoscopic Surgery of the Orbit
Endoscopic Surgery of the Orbit

Raj Sindwani, MD, FACS, FRCS(C)

Vice Chairman and Section Head
Rhinology, Sinus & Skull Base Surgery j Head and Neck Institute
Co-Director j Minimally Invasive Cranial Base & Pituitary Surgery Program
Rosa Ella Burkhardt Brain Tumor & Neuro-Oncology Center
Vice Chair of Enterprise Surgical Operations j Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland, Ohio
Elsevier
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ENDOSCOPIC SURGERY OF THE ORBIT ISBN: 978-0-323-61329-3

Copyright © 2021, Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Sinus and Nasal Institute of Florida Foundation retains copyright for the original
figures/images appearing in Dr. Lanza’s chapter (Chapter 29).

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 This book is dedicated to my daughters, Sienna and Sasha,
whose mere presence makes me want to be a better person and make our world a better place.
Girls, always remember that your place in the world is wherever and whatever you want it to be.
The fact that this book now exists in physical form is a testament to the love,
support, and countless sacrifices of several people in my life—most notably my parents and my wife,
Sangeeta—who, first, convinced me that I really could do anything that I put my mind to,
and then, second, provided me the runway to do it.

Raj Sindwani, MD, FACS, FRCS(C)

Preface
This textbook is as unique as the evolving field of endoscopic
orbital surgery. More than any other sphere, contemporary
approaches to the orbit and skull base are the epitome of multidis-
ciplinary care and the “team of teams” approach to problem-
solving. These approaches take exquisite advantage of the anatomic
reality that the sinonasal tract is largely an air-filled column of bony
cells that can readily be removed without consequence. At their
core, the advantages of endoscopic approaches to the orbit closely
parallel the advantages that we now routinely leverage during endo-
scopic skull base techniques—namely, direct-line access to pathol-
ogy in hard-to-reach areas of the head that we are able to manage
through the nose with minimal retraction on sensitive neurovascu-
lar structures.
With concurrent improvement in office examination tech-
niques and imaging technology, clinicians with an interest in disor-
ders affecting the orbit are often able to achieve increased precision
in preoperative diagnosis and offer their patients more refined, and
in some cases less invasive, treatment options. Minimally invasive
orbital techniques offer the promise of a more streamlined approach
to comprehensive patient care, improved patient satisfaction and
experience, and superior outcomes.
The modern era of endoscopic surgery of the orbit has wit-
nessed an unparalleled partnership between the specialties of
vi
otolaryngology and ophthalmology. Beyond even this core dyad,
however, the complex nature of endoscopic orbital surgery
requires a cohesive, multidisciplinary team consisting of otolar-
yngologists, ophthalmologists, neurosurgeons, endocrinologists,
medical and radiation oncologists, and radiologists and patholo-
gists. In addition to providing expertise and perspectives from
these various specialties, Endoscopic Surgery of the Orbit (1st edition)
also highlights the two-surgeon, multihanded surgical techniques
that have ushered in a new era in managing complex pathologies
involving the orbit and skull base.
Infused with the knowledge and wisdom of global thought
leaders, it was my mission to provide a comprehensive resource that
could serve as an authoritative text to practitioners performing
endoscopic orbital procedures and caring for these patients. I am
immensely grateful to my distinguished colleagues and friends
for their contributions to this important project; your time and
dedication are very much appreciated.
It is my sincere hope that readers find this work informative,
thought-provoking, entertaining, and inspiring.
Raj Sindwani, MD, FACS, FRCS(C)
Biography
Raj Sindwani, MD, FACS,
FRCS(C)
Dr. Sindwani is vice chair-
man and head of the Section
of Rhinology, Sinus & Skull
Base Surgery of the Head &
Neck Institute at the Cleveland
Clinic. He is also co-director of
the Minimally Invasive Cranial
Base and Pituitary Program of
the Rose Ella Burkhardt Brain
Tumor and Neuro-Oncology
Center. He has held several
important leadership roles at
the Cleveland Clinic and is
currently vice chairman of
Enterprise Surgical Operations. In this role, he and his team cham-
pion procedural and surgical safety and quality while working to
address access, efficiency, and service-line development across
the Cleveland Clinic health system. He also serves as president-
elect of the medical staff and is a member of the Cleveland Clinic
Board of Governors.
Dr. Sindwani is presently the editor-in-chief of the American
Journal of Rhinology & Allergy and past editor-in-chief of the Year
Book of Otolaryngology. He serves on several high-impact editorial
and scientific advisory boards and has trained many fellows and res-
idents. He is an established authority on the medical and surgical
management of conditions affecting the sinuses, orbit, and skull
base and has pioneered endoscopic surgical approaches to these
regions. He has published extensively in the field and has lectured
at many institutions, instructional courses, and scientific symposia
around the world.
vii
Video Contents

13-1 Endoscopic Dacryocystorhinostomy 33-1 Endoscopic Repair of a Medial Orbital Wall Facture
Jessica W. Grayson With the “Milan Technique”
21-1 Optic Nerve Decompression Marco Molteni
Nicole I. Farber 33-2 Endoscopic Medial Orbital Wall Reconstruction After
29-1 Endoscopic-Assisted Orbital Exenteration Removal of an Orbital Mass Via a Transnasal Approach
Donald Charles Lanza Marco Molteni
30-1 Right Orbital Subperiosteal Abscess Drainage
Ron Mitchell

xv
Contributors

Omar H. Ahmed, MD Benjamin S. Bleier, MD

Fellow, Rhinology and Cranial Base Surgery Associate Professor
Department of Otolaryngology Director of Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Co-Director Center for Thyroid Eye
Pittsburgh, PA, United States Disease and Orbital Surgery
Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
Shaheryar F. Ansari, MD Harvard Medical School
Fellow, Pacific Neuroscience Institute Boston, MA, United States
John Wayne Cancer Institute
Providence’s Saint John’s Health Center
Santa Monica, CA, United States Kofi Boahene, MD
Professor
Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
Leopold Arko IV, MD Johns Hopkins
Minimally Invasive Endoscopic Skull Baltimore, MD, United States
Base Fellow
Department of Neurological Surgery
Weill Cornell Medical College Hamid Borghei-Ravazi, MD
New York Presbyterian Hospital Assistant Professor
New York, NY, United States Department of Neurosurgery
Cleveland Clinic Florida
Weston, FL, United States
Catherine Banks, MD, FRACS
Fellow/Clinical Instructor in Rhinology and Skull
Base Surgery Zachary J. Cappello, MD
Department of Otolaryngology Otolaryngologist
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Charlotte Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat Associates
Harvard Medical School Charlotte, NC, United States
Boston, MA, United States
Anais L. Carniciu, MD
Department of Ophthalmology
Garni Barkhoudarian, MD, PhD
Associate Professor University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Department of Neuroscience and Neurosurgery
Cleveland, OH, United States
John Wayne Cancer Institute
Santa Monica, CA, United States
Ricardo L. Carrau, MD
Professor
Federico Biglioli, MD Departments of Otolaryngology – Head and
Professor and Chair Neck Surgery
Maxillofacial Surgery Unit Neurological Surgery, and Communication Sciences
Santi Paolo e Carlo Hospital, Università degli and Disorders
Studi di Milano The Ohio State University
Milan, Italy Columbus, OH, United States

xvi
 Contributors xvii

Matthew Cassidy, CNIM Eric M. Dowling, MD

Intraoperative Neuromonitoring Workleader Resident Physician
Intraoperative Neuromonitoring Department of Otorhinolaryngology – Head
Cleveland Clinic Foundation and Neck Surgery
Cleveland, OH, United States Mayo Clinic
Rochester, MN, United States

Rakesh Chandra, MD Charles S. Ebert, Jr., MD, MPH

Professor Associate Professor
Department of Otolaryngology Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
Vanderbilt University Medical Center UNC School of Medicine
Nashville, TN, United States University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill, NC, United States
Chandala Chitguppi, MD
Fellow, Division of Rhinology and Skull Base Surgery Jean Anderson Eloy, MD, FACS, FARS
Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery Professor and Vice Chair
Thomas Jefferson University Departments of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery,
Philadelphia, PA, United States Neurological Surgery, Ophthalmology and
Visual Science
Brian H. Chon, MD Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Oculofacial Plastic Surgery Newark, NJ, United States
Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cole Eye Institute
Cleveland, OH, United States James J. Evans, MD
Professor
Giacomo Colletti, MD Department of Neurological Surgery and Otolaryngology
Staff Physician Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
Maxillofacial Surgery Unit Philadelphia, PA, United States
Santi Paolo e Carlo Hospital, Università degli Studi di Milano
Milan, Italy Nicole I. Farber, MD
Resident
Gustavo Coy, MD Department of Otolaryngology
Mr. Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
São Paulo ENT & Skull Base Center Newark, NJ, United States
Edmundo Vasconcelos Hospital
São Paulo, Brazil Nyssa Fox Farrell, MD
Fellow
Iacopo Dallan, MD Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
Unit of Otolaryngology, Audiology and Phoniatrics Oregon Health & Science University
University of Pisa Portland, OR, United States
Pisa, Italy
Judd H. Fastenberg, MD
Jackson Deere, BS Fellow, Division of Rhinology and Skull Base Surgery
Medical Student Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
School of Medicine Thomas Jefferson University
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Philadelphia, PA, United States
Dallas, TX, United States
Giovanni Felisati, MD
Nora Dewart, BSc(Hon) Professor and Chair
Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Otorhinolaryngology Unit and Head and Neck Department
University of Toronto Santi Paolo e Carlo Hospital, Università degli Studi di Milano
Toronto, ON, Canada Milan, Italy
xviii Contributors

Juan C. Fernandez-Miranda, MD Ashleigh A. Halderman, MD

Professor Assistant Professor
Department of Neurosurgery Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
Surgical Director University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Brain Tumor, Skull Base and Pituitary Centers Dallas, Texas, United States
Stanford University
Stanford, CA, United States John F. Hardesty, MD
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Paul A. Gardner, MD Washington University School of Medicine
Associate Professor St. Louis, MO, United States
Departments of Neurological Surgery and
Otolaryngology Morris E. Hartstein, MD, FACS
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Director, Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive
Co-Director Surgery
Center for Cranial Base Surgery Department of Ophthalmology
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Assaf Harofeh Medical Center
Pittsburgh, PA, United States Zerfin, Israel
Clinical Associate Professor
Inbal Gazit, MD Department of Ophthalmology
Department of Ophthalmology Saint Louis University
Assaf Harofeh Medical Center St. Louis, MO, United States
Tzrifin, Isreal
Richard J. Harvey, MD, PhD
Christos Georgalas, MD, PhD, MRCS (England), Professor
DLO, FRCS (ORL-HNS) Rhinology and Skull Base Surgery, Applied Medical Research
Consultant and Otolaryngologist – Head and Centre
Neck Surgeon Director of Endoscopic Skull University of New South Wales
Base Center Sydney, Australia
Hygeia Hospital Professor
Athens, Greece Faculty of Medicine and Health Science
Professor of Surgery Macquarie University
St. George’s Medical School at Nicosia University Program Sydney, Australia
Nicosia, Greece
Stephen C. Hernandez, MD
Kyle J. Godfrey, MD Assistant Professor
Division of Ophthalmic Plastic, Reconstructive, LSU School of Medicine
and Orbital Surgery New Orleans, LA, United States
Department of Ophthalmology
Weill Cornell Medical College Eric Hink, MD
New York, NY, United States; Associate Professor
Division of Oculoplastic and Orbital Surgery Departments of Otolyngology – Head and Neck
Department of Ophthalmology Surgery and Ophthalmology
Harkness Eye Institute University of Colorado School of Medicine
Columbia University Medical Center Aurora, CO, United States
New York, NY, United States
John Bryan Holds, MD, FACS
Ezequiel Goldschmidt, MD, PhD Ophthalmic Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery, Inc.
Intra-Residency Fellow, Open and Endoscopic Des Peres, MO, United States
Cranial Base Surgery Departments of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology – Head
Department of Neurosurgery and Neck Surgery
University of Pittsburgh Saint Louis University
Pittsburgh, PA, United States St. Louis, MO, United States

Jessica W. Grayson, MD Wayne D. Hsueh, MD

Rhinology and Skull Base Research Group
Applied Medical Research Centre
University of New South Wales
Australian School of Advanced Medicine
Macquarie University
Sydney, Australia
Assistant Professor
Department of Otolaryngology – Head and
Neck Surgery
Center for Skull Base and Pituitary Surgery
Neurological Institute of New Jersey
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Newark, NJ, United States
 Contributors xix

Catherine J. Hwang, MD Howard Kraus, MD

Oculofacial Plastic Surgery
Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Cole Eye Institute
Cleveland, OH, United States
Professor of Surgery
Director of Eye, Ear & Skull Base Center
John Wayne Cancer Institute
Providence Saint John’s Health Center
Santa Monica, CA

Christopher Karakasis, MD
Associate Staff Varun R. Kshettry, MD
Division of Neuroradiology Physician
Cleveland Clinic Department of Neurosurgery
Cleveland, OH, United States Cleveland Clinic
Assistant Professor Cleveland, OH, United States
Diagnostic Radiology
Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western
Reserve University Edward C. Kuan, MD, MBA
Cleveland, OH, United States Assistant Professor
Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
University of California, Irvine
Michael Kazim, MD Irvine, CA, United States
Division of Oculoplastic and Orbital Surgery
Department of Ophthalmology
Harkness Eye Institute Andrew P. Lane, MD
Columbia University Medical Center Professor
New York, NY, United States Department of Otolaryngology – Head and
Neck Surgery
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Daniel F. Kelly, MD Baltimore, MD, United States
Director, Pacific Neuroscience Institute
Department of Neurosurgery
Pacific Neuroscience Institute Donald Charles Lanza, MD, MS
Santa Monica, CA, United States Director
Rhinology & Skull Base Surgery
Sinus and Nasal Institute of Florida Foundation
Kathleen M. Kelly, MD St. Petersbrug, FL, United States
Resident Physician
Department of Otolaryngology – Head and
Neck Surgery Victoria S. Lee, MD
UT Southwestern Medical Center Assistant Professor
Dallas, TX, United States Department of Otolaryngology – Head and
Neck Surgery
University of Illinois at Chicago College of
Adam J. Kimple, MD, PhD Medicine
Assistant Professor Chicago, IL, United States
Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
UNC School of Medicine
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Riccardo Lenzi, MD, PhD
Chapel Hill, NC, United States Consultant Otorhinolaryngologist
Azienda USL, Toscana, Nord Ovest
Unit of Otorhinolaryngology
Todd T. Kingdom, MD Apuane Hospital
Professor Massa, Italy
Departments of Otolyngology – Head and Neck Surgery
and Ophthalmology
University of Colorado School of Medicine James K. Liu, MD, FACS, FAANS
Aurora, CO, United States Professor
Departments of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
and Neurological Surgery
Courtney Lynn Kraus, MD Center for Skull Base and Pituitary Surgery
Department of Ophthalmology Neurological Institute of New Jersey
Johns Hopkins University Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Baltimore, MD, United States Newark, NJ, United States
xx Contributors

Lisa D. Lystad, MD John Nguyen, MD

Neuro-Ophthalmology Associate Professor
Cole Eye Fellowship Director
Cleveland Clinic Foundation Ophthalmic Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
Cleveland, OH, United States Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences
West Virginia University
Robi Nicolas Maamari, MD Morgantown, WV, United States
Ophthalmic Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery, Inc.
Des Peres, MO, United States;
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Leah Novinger, MD, PhD
Sciences Oculoplastics fellow Resident
Washington University School of Medicine Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
St. Louis, MI, United States Indiana University School of Medicine
Indianapolis, IN, United States

João Mangussi-Gomes, MD Gurston G. Nyquist, MD

São Paulo ENT & Skull Base Center Associate Professor
Edmundo Vasconcelos Hospital Division of Rhinology and Skull Base Surgery
São Paulo, Brazil Department of Otolaryngology and Neurological Surgery
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
Ralph B. Metson, MD Philadelphia, PA, United States
Professor
Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
Lior Or, MD
Massachusetts Eye and Ear
Department of Ophthalmology
Harvard Medical School
Assaf Harofeh Medical Center
Boston, MA, United States
Tzrifin, Israel

Kapil Mishra, MD
Resident Physician James N. Palmer, MD
Department of Ophthalmology Professor of Otorhinolaryngology
Wilmer Eye Institute Division of Rhinology
Johns Hopkins Hospital Department of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck
Baltimore, MD, United States Surgery
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA, United States
Ron Mitchell, MD
Professor and Chief
Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Julian D. Perry, MD
School of Medicine Oculofacial Plastic Surgery
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cole Eye Institute
Dallas, TX, United States Cleveland, OH, United States

Kris S. Moe, MD, FACS Anastasia Piniara, MD, MSc

Professor and Chief, Division of Facial Plastic Surgery Consultant and Otolaryngologist – Head and Neck Surgeon
Departments of Otolaryngology and Neurological Surgery Hygeia Hospital
University of Washington School of Medicine Athens, Greece
Seattle, WA, United States
Daniel M. Prevedello, MD
Luca Muscatello, MD Professor
Azienda USL Toscana Nord Ovest Department of Neurological Surgery
Unit of Otorhinolaryngology The Ohio State University
Apuane Hospital Columbus, OH, United States
Massa, Italy
Mindy R. Rabinowitz, MD
Dileep Nair, MD Assistant Professor
Section Head of Adult Epilepsy Division of Rhinology and Skull Base Surgery
Epilepsy Center Department of Otolaryngology and Neurological Surgery
Cleveland Clinic Thomas Jefferson University
Cleveland, OH, United States Philadelphia, PA, United States
 Contributors xxi

Hassan Ramadan, MD Soumya Sagar, MBBS

Professor and Chairman Clinical Research Fellow
Department of Otolaryngology Department of Neurosurgery
West Virginia University Brain Tumor and Neuro-Oncology Center
Morgantown, WV, United States Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland, OH, United States

Pablo F. Recinos, MD
Section Head, Skull Base Surgery Alberto Maria Saibene, MD, MA
Department of Neurosurgery Staff Physician
Brain Tumor and Neuro-Oncology Center Otorhinolaryngology Unit
Cleveland Clinic Santi Paolo e Carlo Hospital
Cleveland, OH, United States Università degli Studi di Milano
Milan, Italy
Roxana Y. Rivera, MD
Director, Oculoplastic and Orbital Surgery Service Griffin D. Santarelli, MD
University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center Assistant Professor
Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology Barrow Neurological Institute
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Phoenix, AZ, United States
Cleveland, OH, United States

Jamie Lea Schaefer, MD

Marc R. Rosen, MD Fellow
Professor, Division of Rhinology and Skull Base Surgery Department of Ophthalmology
Department of Otolaryngology and Neurological Surgery & Visual Sciences
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital West Virginia University
Philadelphia, PA, United States Morgantown, WV, United States

Christopher R. Roxbury, MD
Assistant Professor Theodore H. Schwartz, MD
Division of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Professor of Neurosurgery, Otolaryngologiy, Neurology
University of Chicago and Neuroscience
Chicago, IL, United States Department of Neurological Surgery
Weill Cornell Medical College
New York Presbyterian Hospital
Paul Ruggieri, MD New York, NY, United States
Chief
Division of Neuroradiology
Cleveland Clinic Rajeev D. Sen, MD
Cleveland, OH, United States Resident
Department of Neurological Surgery
University of Washington School
Charles Saadeh, MD of Medicine
Resident Seattle, WA, United States
Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
School of Medicine
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Gopi Shah, MD
Dallas, TX, United States Assistant Professor
Department of Otolaryngology – Head and
Neck Surgery
Raymond Sacks, MD Division of Pediatric Otolaryngology
Rhinology and Skull Base Research Group School of Medicine and Children's
Applied Medical Research Centre Medical Center
University of New South Wales; University of Texas
Australian School of Advanced Medicine Southwestern Medical Center
Macquarie University; Dallas, TX, United States
Department of Otolaryngology
University of Sydney
Sydney, Australia
xxii Contributors

Raj Sindwani, MD, FACS, FRCS(C) Peter F. Svider, MD

Vice Chairman and Section Head Department of Otolaryngology – Head and
Rhinology, Sinus & Skull Base Surgery Neck Surgery
Head and Neck Institute Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Co-Director Newark, NJ, United States
Minimally Invasive Cranial Base & Pituitary
Surgery Program
Rosa Ella Burkhardt Brain Tumor & Neuro-Oncology Luisam Tarrats, MD, JD
Center Director
Vice Chair of Enterprise Surgical Operations Department of Rhinology and Skull Base Surgery
Cleveland Clinic La Clínica de Rinosinusitis, LLC
Cleveland, OH, United States Cayey, Puerto Rico
Assistant Professor
Department of Otolaryngology – Head and
Arun D. Singh, MD Neck Surgery
Cole Eye Institute University of Puerto Rico
Professor of Ophthalmology San Juan, Puerto Rico
Director, Ophthalmic Oncology
Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Cleveland, OH, United States Brian D. Thorp, MD
Assistant Professor
Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
Carl H. Snyderman, MD, MBA UNC Medical School
Professor University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Departments of Otolaryngology and Neurological Chapel Hill, NC, United States
Surgery
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Pittsburgh, PA, United States Jonathan Y. Ting, MD, MS, MBA
Co-Director Interim Chair
Center for Cranial Base Surgery Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Indiana University School of Medicine
Pittsburgh, PA, United States Indianapolis, IN, United States

Aldo C. Stamm, MD, PhD Peter Valentin Tomazic, MD, PhD

São Paulo, ENT & Skull Base Center Associate Professor
Edmundo Vasconcelos Hospital Department of General Otorhinolaryngology – Head
São Paulo, Brazil and Neck Surgery
Medical University of Graz
Graz, Austria
Heinz Stammberger, MD (Deceased)
Professor
Department of General Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Kyle K. VanKoevering, MD
Neck Surgery Assistant Professor, Cranial Base Surgery
Medical University of Graz Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
Graz, Austria University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI, United States

Janalee K. Stokken, MD
Assistant Professor Erich Vyskocil, MD
Department of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery
Neck Surgery Medical University of Vienna
Mayo Clinic Vienna, Austria
Rochester, MN, United States
Eric W. Wang, MD
Eric Succar, MD Associate Professor
Instructor Departments of Otolaryngology, Neurological Surgery
Department of Otolaryngology and Ophthalmology
Vanderbilt University Medical Center Director of Education, Center for Cranial Base Surgery
Nashville, TN, United States University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Pittsburgh, PA, United States
 Contributors xxiii

Ian J. Witterick, MD, MSc, FRCSC Habib Zalzal, MD

Professor and Chair Physician
Department of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Otolaryngology
Neck Surgery West Virginia University
University of Toronto Morgantown, WV, United States
Toronto, ON, Canada
Adam M. Zanation, MD
Peter J. Wormald, MD, FAHMS, FRACS, FRCS(Ed), Associate Professor
FCS(SA), MBChB Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
Professor Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery UNC School of Medicine
Professor Skull Base Surgery University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Department of Otolaryngology Heads and Neck Surgery Chapel Hill, NC, United States
University of Adelaide
Adelaide, Australia
1
Endoscopic Orbital Surgery:
The Rhinologist’s Perspective
R A LP H B . ME T SO N , M D
T
he specialties of otolaryngology and ophthalmology are
separated by little more than the width of the lamina
papyracea. This paper-thin bone that forms the boundary
between the orbital and sinonasal cavities serves as a metaphor for
the aligned interests of two specialties whose practitioners often
find themselves operating in close anatomic proximity. Indeed,
cooperative surgical endeavors between otolaryngologists and oph-
thalmologists have risen rapidly since the introduction of nasal
endoscopes to treat patients with orbital disorders.
Endoscopic Dacryocystorhinostomy
Before the endoscopic age, attempts to surgically treat orbital disease
through a transnasal approach were often fraught with poor visual-
ization and poor outcome. The best documented attempt to perform
a dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) through the nose was described in
1921 by Harris P. Mosher, who then served as chairman of the
Department of Otology and Laryngology at Harvard Medical
School.1 Using a headlight and nasal speculum, he described the
drainage of pus from the infected lacrimal sacs of 12 patients.
Although this intranasal approach avoided the need for a facial inci-
sion, a postoperative orbital infection developed in one patient who
almost lost her eye, prompting Mosher to abandon the procedure in
favor of a combined external-intranasal approach. In his words,
“Where light is possible it is folly to work in the dark. The best sur-
gery is done by sight.” For the next 70 years, DCRs were performed
almost exclusively in an external manner through a medial canthal
incision, and largely by ophthalmologists.
With the advent of small-diameter, high-resolution nasal endo-
scopes for sinus surgery in the mid-1980s, a renewed interest devel-
oped in the possibility of accessing orbital pathology through the
nose. Otolaryngologists found themselves routinely operating in
the vicinity of the lacrimal sac as they cleared disease from adjacent
ethmoid air cells under excellent visualization. While doing so, the
potential to readily access the medial orbital structures via a trans-
nasal approach became readily apparent, and early reports in the
literature supported the concept.2
In 1989, I was approached by Daniel Townsend, an ophthal-
mologist at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, who had recently
performed an external DCR on a 52 year-old woman, only to have
her troublesome tearing return 3 months later. When I examined
the patient in the office with a nasal endoscope, a dense scar band
could be seen overlying the region of the lacrimal sac along the
2
lateral nasal wall. She appeared to be an ideal candidate to revisit
Mosher’s intranasal DCR approach, this time with the necessary
“light” and visualization to perform a safe and effective surgery.
The trip to the operating room proved to be a fruitful one. The
ophthalmologist passed lacrimal probes through the canaliculi to
localize the obstructed lacrimal sac while I resected the scar tissue
and made a wide opening around the probes into the sac. The
patient tolerated the 90-minute procedure well, and her epiphora
has not returned in more than 30 years.
The early success of endoscopic DCR led to its relatively rapid
adoption by other surgeons at our hospital and across the country.
The benefits of avoiding a facial incision and reducing patient mor-
bidity offered by endoscopic DCR were obvious. However, not so
obvious at the time were the subtleties of patient selection and sur-
gical technique that affected clinical outcome.
One such example was the use of surgical lasers, which were
quite popular at the time, for the performance of endoscopic
DCR.3 Although laser fibers could be passed through either the
tear duct or nose to remove bone overlying the lacrimal sac, their
use led to postoperative scar formation and restenosis. Laser endo-
scopic DCR had a success rate of 78% compared with a rate of
more than 90% for conventional DCR. Because of these early set-
backs, endoscopic DCR lost favor among many ophthalmologists
who continued to perform conventional external DCR. Neverthe-
less, with increasing clinical experience, the performance of endo-
scopic DCR was refined and its adoption grew worldwide.
Numerous reports over the past decade have described the safety
and efficacy of this technique with results comparable to those
of external DCR.4
Key Concepts and Lessons Learned
Over the past 30 years, personal experience supported by
evidenced-based studies has taught me many lessons regarding
the performance of endoscopic DCR. These lessons have been
reinforced by the more than two dozen referring ophthalmologists
with whom I have shared this journey. The following list enumer-
ates some of the lessons learned.
1. The benefits of a team approach. Patients who undergo endo-
scopic DCR are best served when their care is provided by both
an ophthalmologist and otolaryngologist. The complementary
skill sets of these specialists allows for optimal treatment of these
patients, including preoperative irrigation of the lacrimal
 CHAPTER 1
apparatus, intraoperative intubation of the canaliculi, and post-
operative debridement of the surgical site.
2. Starting with revision cases. When learning to perform endo-
scopic DCRs, keep in mind that revision cases are usually easier
than primary ones, because the thick bone overlying the sac has
already been removed. In addition, ophthalmologists are more
likely to refer one of their patients in whom external DCR with
recurrent epiphora has failed. Such initial cases often lead to
happy patients and a happy referring ophthalmologist.
3. Adequate exposure of the lacrimal sac. The technique used to
remove thick bone overlying the lacrimal sac—drill, rongeur,
ultrasonic aspirator—is not nearly as important as the location
and amount of bone removed. The important thing is to
remove the thick bone anterior to the maxillary line to provide
adequate exposure of the entire medial sac wall.
4. Placement of lacrimal stents. Although placement of a stent
through the newly created internal lacrimal ostium at the con-
clusion of endoscopic DCR may not be necessary in most cases,
doing so has low patient morbidity and may help with post-
operative debridement and healing.
5. Visualization of the internal common punctum at the con-
clusion of surgery. The goal of endoscopic DCR is nasalization
of the internal common punctum. This punctum is visible as
the opening through which the lacrimal stent enters the lateral
sac wall. If this punctum is visible at the conclusion of surgery,
the chances are high for a successful surgical outcome.
6. Performance of septoplasty at time of endoscopic DCR. If a
superior septal deflection limits access to the region of the
lacrimal sac, the practitioner should have a low threshold for
performing septoplasty immediately before endoscopic DCR.
Adequate visualization and exposure are key to safe and effective
endoscopic surgery.
7. Postoperative debridement. Removal of tissue and debris
from the surgical site under endoscopic guidance 1 week after
surgery is just as important after DCR as it is after sinus surgery.
Movement of the lacrimal stent with blinking as seen on endos-
copy at the time of debridement suggests patent tear flow and is
a positive prognostic sign for successful surgery.
8. Intranasal causes of DCR failure. The most common causes
of DCR failure, whether performed through an endoscopic or
external approach, are due to intranasal pathology. Such pathol-
ogy, including adhesions and obstructing turbinates, can be
readily visualized on postoperative endoscopic examination
and addressed at the time of revision endoscopic DCR.
Endoscopic Orbital Decompression
Not long after the successful introduction of endoscopic DCR,
sinus surgeons began to consider other possibilities for transnasal
treatment of orbital pathology. At the completion of routine eth-
moidectomy for chronic rhinosinusitis, the skeletonized lamina
papyracea was in full view, yet its penetration was assiduously
avoided for fear of exposing orbital fat and causing injury to
intraorbital structures.
Those of us who trained in otolaryngology before the endoscopic
era were familiar with the Walsh-Ogura transantral approach for
treatment of patients with exophthalmos from Graves’ disease.5
Surgery started with a transoral incision to open the maxillary and
ethmoid sinuses. The bony orbital floor and lamina papyracea were
then removed, resulting in orbital decompression with immediate
reduction in proptosis. But could similar surgery be performed
Endoscopic Orbital Surgery: The Rhinologist’s Perspective 3
through an endoscope? The answer came in 1990 when David
Kennedy and his ophthalmologic colleague, Neil Miller, at Johns
Hopkins described the successful treatment of eight patients with
Graves’ orbitopathy using an endoscopic technique.6 Two of the
patients underwent simultaneous Walsh-Ogura procedures to verify
that adequate bone had been removed endoscopically along the
orbital floor.
Later that year, I was approached by John Shore, an innovative
ophthalmologist at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, who had a 38-year-
old patient with a severe case of Graves’ orbitopathy. He was par-
ticularly concerned about impending vision loss in this individual
who had already had a vision-threatening corneal abrasion and was
in need of a thorough decompression, including the region of the
orbital apex, which can be difficult to visualize through a conven-
tional approach.
When we took this first patient to the operating room, the oph-
thalmologist was amazed at the excellent visualization in the region
of the orbital apex afforded by the endoscope. After removal of the
entire lamina papyracea, I incised the periorbita in a posterior-to-
anterior direction, resulting in immediate prolapse of orbital fat
and reduction in the patient’s proptosis. A tense orbit was now soft,
and the referring physician was now sold on the advantages of an
endoscopic approach to the medial orbit. A week after surgery, the
patient’s exophthalmos was 8 mm less than its preoperative level,
but he did not have the postoperative facial swelling, numbness,
and ecchymosis associated with nonendoscopic approaches to
the orbit. The enhanced visualization and reduced patient morbid-
ity afforded by the approach to the medial orbit led to a rapid
growth in the number of endoscopic decompressions performed
nationwide during the 1990s.7
Within the first 5 years of performing orbital decompressions,
however, an unanticipated problem became evident: development
of new-onset diplopia that was difficult for the strabismus surgeons
to correct. We had known for many years that double vision was an
expected sequela to orbital decompression in many patients, but
the severity and incidence of the diplopia was troubling. An anal-
ysis of our results suggested that the problem was due to the thor-
oughness of medial orbital decompression when performed with
endoscopic instrumentation compared with conventional transan-
tral or transorbital approaches. Removal of the entire lamina papyr-
acea and periorbita resulted in a greater prolapse of orbital fat and
herniation of the medial rectus muscle into the sinonasal cavities
than occurred with conventional approaches. This finding was par-
ticularly apparent in patients who had undergone only medial
decompression without a concurrent lateral decompression.
Similar findings were reported by other authors who recom-
mended the use of a “balanced decompression” technique with
concurrent medial and lateral decompressions at the same operative
setting.8 This balanced decompression resulted in a significantly
lower incidence of postoperative diplopia. It made sense that the
lateral decompression relieved inward pressure on the orbital con-
tents, resulting in less medial displacement of the orbital contents,
including the medial rectus muscle, and thereby caused less double
vision. Balanced decompressions are now performed on the major-
ity of patients with Graves’ disease in my practice who require sur-
gical decompression. Only those with relatively mild proptosis and
no optic neuropathy undergo medial decompression alone.
Another procedure developed to reduce the incidence of post-
operative diplopia in patients with Graves’ orbitopathy is known as
the “orbital sling” technique. A 10-mm wide strip of the periorbita
overlying the medial rectus muscle is preserved to prevent medial
displacement of the muscle during surgery. Orbital fat is free to
4 P ART 1 Perspectives and Evolution in Techniques
herniate above and below the fascial sling, providing adequate
decompression of the orbital contents. When a balanced technique
is used in the majority of patients, supplemented by the use of an
orbital sling in select patients, the results of endoscopic orbital
decompression are comparable to those of transantral and transor-
bital techniques, including the degree of decompression achieved
and relatively low incidence of postoperative complications.9,10
Unlike endoscopic DCR, ophthalmologists gravitated relatively
quickly to the concept of endoscopic orbital decompression. They
realized the obvious advantages of endoscopic instrumentation for
such surgery, including better visualization along the skull base and
a more complete removal of the lamina papyracea than could be
achieved with conventional approaches. The majority of orbital
decompressions performed today use a team approach. It is com-
mon for the ororhinolaryngologist to perform the medial portion
of the decompression while the ophthalmologist follows with the
lateral decompression.
Key Concepts and Lessons Learned
Specific techniques used for orbital decompression are dependent
on the individual patient’s pathology and the surgeon’s prefer-
ences. Nevertheless, personal experience over the past three
decades, combined with evidenced-based studies, has led to a gen-
eral set of principles that I apply in the treatment of patients requir-
ing endoscopic orbital decompression:
1. Endoscopic orbital decompression is only the first step in the
rehabilitation of many patients with Graves’ orbitopathy.
Once the proptosis has been successfully reduced, a series of addi-
tional surgical procedures performed by the ophthalmologist are
often necessary to achieve the desired degree of normal function
and appearance. These procedures may include lowering the posi-
tion of the upper eyelid, which is often elevated in Graves’ disease,
and strabismus surgery to address any residual diplopia.
2. A balanced decompression decreases the incidence of postop-
erative diplopia. Postoperative diplopia is an expected sequela,
not a complication, of endoscopic orbital decompression in
many patients. Nevertheless, the incidence of double vision
can be reduced by the performance of concurrent medial and lat-
eral orbital decompression in the same operative setting.
3. The use of an orbital sling technique can further decrease the
incidence of postoperative diplopia in select patients. Preser-
vation of a 10-mm wide strip of the periorbita overlying the
medial rectus muscle helps to stabilize the muscle position and
function, particularly in patients without preexisting diplopia.
4. Patients who present with optic neuropathy should have
complete removal of lamina papyracea in the region of the
orbital apex. Decompression of the orbital apex region effec-
tively removes pressure on the optic nerve and leads to improved
vision in many patients with visual loss from optic neuropathy.
5. Preserve the anterior, not posterior, inframedial orbital
strut (IOS). The anterior portion of the IOS (located anterior
to the maxillary ostium) is routinely left in place during endo-
scopic medial orbital decompression. Preservation of the poste-
rior portion of IOS makes decompression technically more
difficult and alters postoperative diplopia only to the degree that
it reduces the degree of orbital decompression.
6. Revision orbital decompression is beneficial in select
patients. In cases of persistent or recurrent proptosis after
decompression surgery, removal of any remaining bone along
the medial orbit wall or floor may result in the additional
desired degree of decompression.
Endoscopic Optic Nerve Decompression
Endoscopic optic nerve decompression is a natural extension of
orbital decompression. Bone removal along the posterior orbit is
continued into the sphenoid sinus following the optic canal as it
courses along the lateral sphenoid wall. In the 1990s, a relatively
large number of optic nerve decompressions were performed on
patients who lost vision after head trauma, particularly during
motor vehicle accidents. There was much debate at the time as
to the best surgical approach to use to decompress the optic nerve
in patients who lost vision after head trauma—endoscopic, open,
transorbital, or transcranial. The debate ended when high-dose ste-
roids were found to be just as effective as surgical decompression of
the optic canal in these patients.10
Most individuals who present with optic neuropathy as
a component of Graves’ orbitopathy do very well after endoscopic
orbital decompression alone. Provided adequate bone is removed
to decompress the region of the orbital apex, their neuropathy,
including the associated color blindness and visual field loss,
usually resolves. Some ophthalmologists, however, do favor
decompression of the optic canal at time of endoscopic orbital
decompression in patients with severe optic neuropathy.
Endoscopic optic nerve decompression remains an excellent
procedure in those patients whose visual loss is due to compression
of the optic nerve within the sphenoid sinus from neoplasms, such
as meningiomas, or osseous lesions, such as fibrous dysplasia. Expe-
rience has shown that unroofing the bony canal in the affected area
is sufficient to restore vision in most cases. Incision of the optic
nerve sheath is not necessary.10
Endoscopic Resection of Orbital Tumors
The inferior and medial rectus muscles are routinely exposed dur-
ing endoscopic orbital decompression. Manipulation of these mus-
cles to gain access to the intraconal region of the orbit was a natural
extension of this surgical approach. Successful endoscopic removal
of tumors of the medial orbit has been described by a number of
authors.11 Most of the early experience was with resection of orbital
hemangiomas, which are not only the most common intraorbital
tumor encountered but also are well encapsulated, facilitating their
dissection from surrounding orbital contents. As experience with
these techniques has advanced, the size, location, and pathology
of orbital tumors successfully resected through an endoscopic
approach have also advanced.
Future Directions
The history of endoscopic orbital surgery over the past 30 years
reflects a natural progression of surgical exploration: from superfi-
cial to deep, from medial to lateral. As both the techniques and
technologies associated with endoscopic orbital surgery advance,
so too will the indications, extent, and success of these procedures.
I foresee the day when otolaryngologists will work with ophthal-
mologists to perform surgery on extraocular muscles—retrieval
of lost muscles during strabismus surgery, and remodeling of dis-
eased muscles from Graves’ disease. Endoscopic instrumentation
also has potential benefits in the field of neuroophthalmology—
placement of retinal and optic nerve implants, fenestration of
the optic nerve for treatment of patients with visual loss from intra-
cranial hypertension, and decompression of the optic nerve in
patients with ischemic neuropathy.
 CHAPTER 1
Conclusion
The fields of otolaryngology and ophthalmology were once a single
specialty. The advent of endoscopic techniques to treat patients
with orbital disorders has served to foster the collaborative efforts
of surgeons in these two specialties once again. With the growing
use of endoscopic instrumentation to treat orbital disease, the
future of endoscopic orbital surgery is a bright one, enabling sur-
geons and their patients to truly “see the light.”
References
1. Mosher, H. P. (1921). Re-establishing intranasal drainage of the
lacrymal sac. Laryngoscope, 31, 492–512.
2. McDonogh, M., & Meiring, J. H. (1989). Endoscopic transnasal
dacryocystorhinostomy. Journal of Laryngology and Otology, 103(6),
585–587.
3. Metson, R., Wong, J. J., & Puliafito, C. A. (1994). Endoscopic laser
dacryocystostomy. Laryngoscope, 104(8 Pt 1), 269–274.
4. Kingdom, T. T., Barham, H. P., & Durairaj, V. D. (2019). Long-term
outcomes after endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy without mucosal
flap preservation. Laryngoscope. https://doi.org/10.1002/lary.27989.
Endoscopic Orbital Surgery: The Rhinologist’s Perspective 5
5. Walsh, T. E., & Ogura, J. H. (1957). Transnasal orbital
decompression for malignant exophthalmos. Laryngoscope, 67(6).
544–568.
6. Kennedy, D. W., Goldstein, M. L., Miller, N. R., & Zinreich, S. J.
(1990). Endoscopic transnasal orbital decompression. Archives of
Otolaryngology–Head Neck Surgery, 116(3), 275–282.
7. Metson, R., Dallow, R. L., & Shore, J. W. (1994). Endoscopic orbital
decompression. Laryngoscope, 104(8 Pt 1), 950–957.
8. Kacker, A., Kazim, M., Murphy, M., Trokel, S., & Close, L. G.
(2003). “Balanced” orbital decompression for severe Graves’ orbito-
pathy: technique and treatment algorithm. Otolaryngology–Head Neck
Surgery, 128(2), 228–235.
9. Yao, W. C., Sedaghat, A. R., Yadav, P., Fay, A., & Metson, R. (2016).
Orbital decompression in the endoscopic age: The modified inferome-
dial orbital structure. Otolaryngology–Head Neck. Surgery, 154(5),
963–969.
10. Pletcher, S. D., Sindwani, R., & Metson, R. (2006). Endoscopic
orbital and optic nerve decompression. Otolaryngologic Clinics of
North America, 39(5), 943–958.
11. McKinney, K. A., Snyderman, C. H., Carrau, R. L., Germanwala, A.
V., Prevedello, D. M., Stefko, S. T., et al. (2010). Seeing the light:
Endoscopic endonasal intraconal orbital tumor surgery. Otolaryngol-
ogy–Head Neck Surgery, 143(5), 600–701.
2
Endoscopic Orbital Surgery:
The Ophthalmologists’ Perspective:
Formation of the Ophthalmology-
Otolaryngology Team
R O B I N I C O L A S M A A M A R I , M D, JO H N F. H A R D E ST Y, M D,
A N D J O H N B R Y A N H O L D S , M D, F A C S
E
ndoscopic orbital surgery has rapidly established itself as a
highly evolving multidisciplinary surgical field, relying on
the expertise and technical skills of ophthalmologists and
otolaryngologists. In 1978, Norris and Cleasby first described
the use of the endoscope for orbital surgery in the ophthalmic lit-
erature.1 Three years later, in 1981, they reported a 15-patient case
series describing their experience using a transorbital endoscopic
approach for orbital trauma evaluation, foreign body removal,
and tumor biopsy.2 The adoption of transorbital endoscopic sur-
gery by the ophthalmic community was limited owing to risks
of irrigation-related intraorbital pressure elevation, tissue edema,
and compressive injury. As a result, most ophthalmologists and
oculofacial surgeons use endoscopic techniques mainly when per-
forming endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomies (Fig. 2.1) and endo-
scopic brow lifts.
In contrast, the introduction of endoscopic surgery in the field
of otolaryngology has revolutionized the treatment of sinus and
allergic disease. The widespread use of the endoscopic transnasal
approach has resulted in rapid development and implementation
of technological innovations. These advances have led to an expan-
sion of the clinical utility of the transnasal endoscopic approach,
with a variety of applications addressing pathology and disease
in the adjacent anatomic regions, including the skull base
and orbit.
In particular, there has been a tremendous increase in the oto-
laryngology literature describing the endoscopic transnasal orbital
decompression technique in the management of thyroid eye disease
and compressive optic neuropathy. In 1990, Kennedy et al. intro-
duced the transnasal endoscopic approach for orbital decompres-
sion.3 In this study, they reported a mean improvement in
Hertel exophthalmometry measurements of 4.7 mm in five patients
6
after medial and inferior wall decompression using this transnasal
endoscopic technique. Since then, several modifications to this
approach have been described to improve outcomes and decrease
complication risks. For example, the incidence of new-onset dip-
lopia in early reports of endoscopic decompressions occurred in
up to 45% of cases.4 However, preservation of the inferomedial
orbital bone strut in endoscopic orbital decompression has resulted
in a tremendous reduction in new-onset postoperative diplopia.5
Aside from the improvement in patient outcomes, this modifica-
tion highlights the importance of an established interdisciplinary
relationship and collaboration between the oculoplastic surgery
and otolaryngology fields, as this technique was adopted from
the work described by Goldberg, Shorr, and Cohen in the oculo-
plastic surgery literature in 1992.6 The anatomic expertise of both
fields has improved our understanding of the orbital strut and sus-
pensory ligament complex and the sinus anatomy to preserve the
position of the globe after endoscopic surgery. Furthermore, the
preservation of a strip of the periorbita medial to the medial rectus
muscle has also been introduced to limit medial rectus muscle pro-
lapse into the ethmoid cavity.7 This “orbital sling” technique is an
additional modification that can be used to improve the versatility
of the transnasal endoscopic approach for orbital decompression.
The growing use of the endoscopic approach for orbital
decompressions in the surgical management of thyroid eye disease
has fostered a strong relationship between the ophthalmologist
and otolaryngologist. In 1993, one author (J.B.H.) began a col-
laborative relationship for orbital decompression to achieve a
lower risk of complications and improve patient care and safety.
In 1999, Graham and Carter described the combined-approach
orbital decompression as a safe, efficient, and efficacious joint ser-
vice procedure, wherein the otolaryngologist performed the
 CHAPTER 2 Endoscopic Orbital Surgery: The Ophthalmologists’ Perspective 7

• Fig. 2.1 Endoscopic transnasal surgical techniques largely developed in otolaryngology have been adopted
by ophthalmologists and oculofacial surgeons for lacrimal and orbital surgery. Images from an endoscopic
revision dacryoycystorhinostomy show (A) the nonfunctional lacrimal ostium; (B) a sharp dilator (arrow) pen-
etrating at the site of the proposed ostium; (C) a balloon catheter about to be inflated to ensure an adequate
opening after the removal of some mucosa; (D) retrieval of the Crawford lacrimal stents with a nasal groove
director.

endoscopic medial wall decompression and the ophthalmologist
completed the external, transorbital inferior, and lateral wall
decompressions.8 This collaborative effort leverages the advan-
tageous features of each approach. The endoscopic approach pro-
vides improved visualization of the posterior medial wall, limiting
the potential for surgical optic nerve injury and maximizing the
extent of decompression at the orbital apex. These advantages
are of particular importance in cases requiring decompression
for progressive thyroid disease–related optic neuropathy. The
external, transconjunctival, and lateral canthal approach provides
direct visualization of the infraorbital nerve to enable extensive
inferior wall decompression, both medial and lateral to the infra-
orbital nerve. Additionally, the simultaneous three-wall decom-
pression facilitates maximal reduction in exophthalmos in a
single operation, while also reducing the incidence of postopera-
tive diplopia owing to the balancing effect when both the medial
and lateral walls are decompressed.9
The remarkable advances in endoscopy in the past decades
have introduced additional team-based surgical opportunities for
the otolaryngologist and ophthalmologists. Specifically, several
recent studies have highlighted the benefits of a combined proce-
dure with complex posterior and apical orbital masses.10–12 Cur-
ragh, Halliday, and Selva described the potential utility of a
dual-route technique wherein the orbital apical mass is accessed
via a transnasal endoscopic approach and a transcaruncular
orbitotomy is simultaneously used to assist in manipulation and
removal of the mass.13 Additionally, they describe the advanta-
geous incorporation of an external transconjunctival disinsertion
of the medial rectus muscle to increase endoscopic exposure during
orbital biopsies and excisions, which can be reinserted at the con-
clusion of the procedure.
Surgical navigation and localization is an area of rapid progress
and evolution that enhances patient safety and surgical outcomes.
These systems also play an integral role in robotic surgery. Initially
used in neurosurgery and otolaryngology for localization in areas of
critical anatomy or to allow for small incision approaches, these sys-
tems have been adopted in ophthalmology and oculofacial surgery
to enhance patient safety (Fig. 2.2). Several reports in the ophthal-
mic plastic surgery literature highlight the utility of stereotactic
image guidance systems as adjunctive tools in orbital tumor exci-
sions and orbital decompressions.14,15
Through the development of these innovative surgical
approaches and techniques, we are establishing and solidifying
an evolving relationship between the fields of ophthalmology
and otolaryngology. As a result, we may observe a transition in
the standard of care and surgical management of a subset of orbital
and apical tumors, with improved patient outcomes based on a col-
laborative practice that relies on the otolaryngologist’s familiarity of
sinus anatomy and the ophthalmologist’s structural expertise in the
intraorbital anatomic relationships.
8 P ART 1 Perspectives and Evolution in Techniques

• Fig. 2.2 Endoscopic visualization through the orbit and sinus (bottom right) and a stereotactic localization
system (top left, coronal; top right, sagittal; bottom left, axial) are used to enhance patient safety in the resec-
tion of an apical orbital tumor between the medial rectus muscle and the optic nerve.

References
1. Norris, J. L., & Cleasby, G. W. (1978). An endoscope for ophthal-
mology. American Journal of Ophthalmology, 85(3), 420–422. https://
doi.org/10.1016/S0002-9394(14)77741-4.
2. Norms, J. L., & Cleasby, G. W. (1981). Endoscopic orbital surgery.
American Journal of Ophthalmology, 91(2), 249–252. https://doi.org/
10.1016/0002-9394(81)90183-5.
3. Kennedy, D. W., Goodstein, M. L., Miller, N. R., & Zinreich, S. J.
(1990). Endoscopic transnasal orbital decompression. Archives of
Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, 116(3), 275–282. https://
doi.org/10.1001/archotol.1990.01870030039006.
4. Yao, W. C., Sedaghat, A. R., Yadav, P., Fay, A., & Metson, R.
(2016). Orbital decompression in the endoscopic age: The modified
inferomedial orbital strut. Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery,
154(5), 963–969. https://doi.org/10.1177/0194599816630722.
5. Wehrmann, D., & Antisdel, J. L. (2016). An update on endoscopic
orbital decompression. Current Opinion in Otolaryngology & Head
and Neck Surgery, 25(1), 73–78. https://doi.org/10.1097/MOO.
0000000000000326.
6. Goldberg, R. A., Shorr, N., & Cohen, M. S. (1992). The medical
orbital strut in the prevention of postdecompression dystopia in
dysthyroid ophthalmopathy. Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive
Surgery, 8(1), 32–34.
7. Metson, R., & Samaha, M. (2002). Reduction of diplopia following
endoscopic orbital decompression: The orbital sling technique. Laryn-
goscope, 112(10), 1753–1757. https://doi.org/10.1097/00005537-
200210000-00008.
8. Graham, S. M., & Carter, K. D. (1999). Combined-approach orbital
decompresion for thyroid-related orbitopathy. Clinical Otolaryngology
and Allied Sciences, 24(2), 109–113. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-
2273.1999.00219.x.
9. Hernández-García, E., San-Román, J. J., González, R., Nogueira, A.,
Genol, I., Stoica, B., et al. (2017). Balanced (endoscopic medial and
transcutaneous lateral) orbital decompression in Graves’ orbitopathy.
Acta Oto-Laryngologica, 137(11), 1183–1187. https://doi.org/10.
1080/00016489.2017.1354394.
10. Stokken, J., Gumber, D., Antisdel, J., & Sindwani, R. (2016). Endo-
scopic surgery of the orbital apex: Outcomes and emerging techniques.
Laryngoscope, 126(1), 20–24. https://doi.org/10.1002/lary.25539.
 CHAPTER 2 Endoscopic Orbital Surgery: The Ophthalmologists’ Perspective
11. Sun, M. T., Wu, W., Yan, W., Tu, Y., & Selva, D. (2017). Endo-
scopic endonasal-assisted resection of orbital schwannoma. Ophthal-
mic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 33, S121–S124. https://doi.
org/10.1097/IOP.0000000000000528.
12. Yao, W. C., & Bleier, B. S. (2016). Endoscopic management of orbital
tumors. Current Opinion in Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery,
24(1), 57–62. https://doi.org/10.1097/MOO.0000000000000215.
13. Curragh, D. S., Halliday, L., & Selva, D. (2018). Endonasal approach
to orbital pathology. Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery,
34(5), 422–427. https://doi.org/10.1097/IOP.0000000000001180.
9
14. Ali, M. J., Naik, M. N., Kaliki, S., & Dave, T. V. (2016). Interactive
navigation-guided ophthalmic plastic surgery: The usefulness of
computed tomography angiographic image guidance. Ophthalmic
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 32(5), 393–398. https://doi.org/
10.1097/IOP.0000000000000736.
15. Lee, K. Y. C., Ang, B. T., Ng, I., & Looi, A. (2009). Stereotaxy for
surgical navigation in orbital surgery. Ophthalmic Plastic and Recon-
structive Surgery, 25(4), 300–302. https://doi.org/10.1097/IOP.
0b013e3181ab6795.
3
Endoscopic Orbital Surgery:
The Neurosurgeon’s Perspective
L E O P O L D A R K O IV, M D A N D T H E O D O R E H . SC H W A R T Z , M D
N
eurosurgical approaches to the orbit are often done with the
aid of ophthalmologist or otolaryngologist, to address
intraorbital lesions invading intracranial spaces or, more
recently, to gain skull base exposure. Dandy first reported use of a fron-
totemporal craniotomy to resect lesions from the orbit that then grew
intracranial.1 The approach Dandy described has now evolved into the
skull base workhorse approaches now commonly used for lesions of the
orbit as well as anterior and middle cranial fossa. The development by
Yasargil of the pterional craniotomy allowed for easy exposure of
lesions in the anterior and middle fossa.2 Orbital pathology along
the lateral edge of the orbit and the superior orbital fissure could be
approached from the traditional version of this exposure. Later addi-
tion of a supraorbital craniotomy3 to the pterional approach created
the orbitozygomatic craniotomy, which allowed for further exposure
of the orbit.4,5 The purpose of the orbital removal with this exposure
was not only to treat intraorbital pathology but to gain skull base expo-
sure regardless of orbital involvement. Lesions of the superolateral area
of the orbit as well as lesions extending into the anterior and middle
cranial fossa could safely be resected from this approach. However,
there are downsides of traditional craniotomies, including a large scar,
temporalis atrophy, cerebrospinal fluid leak (CSF), and infection.
Subfrontal craniotomies are another commonly used approach to
lesions of the orbit and anterior cranial fossa. These approaches usually
include a variation of a bicoronal incision with removal of a portion of
the frontal bar bilaterally or unilaterally depending on the pathology.6
Subfrontal retraction then allows for views of the superior orbit along
with extended views of the superolateral or superomedial orbit. The
required cranial exposure and retraction of a bifrontal craniotomy can
be extensive. Therefore attempts have also been made to decrease the
amount of craniotomy needed to expose the anterior fossa. One of
these more minimal approaches includes the supraorbital craniotomy,
which allows for anterior fossa exposure while minimizing frontal lobe
retraction. Visualization offered with the supraorbital craniotomy has
greatly been expanded with use of the endoscope and combining the
supraorbital approach with endonasal approaches.7
Endoscopic endonasal approaches were developed in the late
1990s by Jho, first for approaches to sellar pathology.8 Later,
expanded approaches were able to expose the inferomedial orbital
apex as well as the anterior cranial fossa.9 The first attempt to use
the endoscope through the orbit was completed in the 1980s, but
this technique was not advanced because of the lack of high-quality
imaging and navigational capability.10 The potential of transorbital
surgery as a corridor to intracranial pathology would not be advanced
again until 2010.11 This transorbital corridor was developed in large
10
part because of the tools developed for endonasal approaches, the
advancement in imaging, and neuronavigation. The use of the endo-
scope allowed for small orbital craniotomies with more direct routes
to surgical pathology of the anterior and middle cranial fossa, leading
to minimization of brain retraction. Transorbital approaches have
now opened the orbit as an extensive intracranial corridor.
Transorbital Approaches
Transorbital approaches have a classification based on the surgical
target. Orbital endoscopic surgery is for access to the orbit and
optic nerve within the orbit; transorbital endoscopic surgery or
transorbital neuroendoscopic surgery (TONES) is for targeting
intracranial pathology.12 These approaches offer a corridor to
the lateral aspect of the anterior and middle fossa, as opposed to
the direct approach to the central anterior fossa provided by endo-
scopic endonasal approaches. The choice of transorbital approach
depends on the targeted anatomical region. Endoscopic orbital
approaches include the superior eyelid crease approach (SLC),
the precaruncular approach (PC), lateral retrocanthal approach
(LRC), and preseptal lower eyelid (PS) approach (Fig. 3.1).11,12
All these approaches have been tested in both clinical and preclin-
ical settings for different pathologies.
Superior Eyelid Crease Approach
The SLC approach involves a superior eyelid incision with careful
dissection along the superior orbital rim.11 Initial clinical use of
this exposure was used to repair CSF leaks, fractures, and orbital
compression as described by Moe et al.11,13,14(Table 3.1). With
this exposure, a large portion of the superior and lateral orbit
can be visualized. With drilling of the posterior orbit, the anterior
and middle cranial fossa can be reached through this exposure. The
SLC approach limits include the superomedial limit defined by
the superior orbital fissure, the inferior limit defined by the inferior
orbital fissure, and the lateral limit defined by the temporalis mus-
cle (Fig. 3.2).15 Preclinical cadaver studies have thoroughly evalu-
ated the potential of this approach (Table 3.2). The first use of
this approach for intracranial pathology was described as a theoret-
ical approach for an amygdalohippocampectomy. By drilling of the
orbit adjacent to the inferior orbital fissure, the temporal pole was
exposed and intradural exposure of the mesial temporal lobe was
completed.16 Further cadaver studies have shown that the lateral
cavernous sinus, including the cavernous carotid, gasserian
 CHAPTER 3 Endoscopic Orbital Surgery: The Neurosurgeon’s Perspective 11

• Fig. 3.1 Overview of four quadrants of the orbit. The superior quadrant is
the area covered by the superior eyelid crease approach. The lateral quad-
rant (yellow) is covered by the lateral retrocanthal approach with some over-
lap with the superior eyelid crease. The inferior quadrant is covered by the
preseptal lower eyelid approach. The medial quadrant (red) is covered by the
precaruncular approach.

ganglion, ophthalmic division of trigeminal nerve (V1), maxillar-

ydivision of trigeminal nerve (V2), and mandibular nerves division
of trigeminal nerve (V3), could all be reached through the SLC
approach by more lateral dissection along the orbital rim.17-19
Using a combination of the SLC and endonasal approach, an • Fig. 3.2 Basic view provided by the superior eyelid approach. The upper
almost 360-degree decompression of the optic nerve could be com- panel is a lateral oblique view and the lower panel is an overhead view.
pleted.20,21 The sylvian fissure has also been dissected through this

TABLE 3.1 Clinical Use of Endoscopic Transorbital Approaches

Type of
No. of Multiport
Author Year Approach Pathology Treated Cases Access
Moe et al. 11
2010 SLC CSF leak, frontal sinus mucocele, decompression of orbit 9 —
LRC Decompression of orbit apex, CSF leak repair 2 —
PC Tumor debulking, CSF leak repair, foreign body removal 10 —
PS Decompression orbit apex, CSF leak repair, metastatic squamous cell debulking 2 —
Moe et al. 13
2011 SLC CSF leak, orbital wall fractures, frontal sinus fracture 6 —
LRC CSF leak, orbital wall fracture 1 —
PC CSF leak, orbital wall fracture 5 —
PS CSF leak, orbital wall fracture 1 —
Lim et al. 27
2012 SLC Orbital abscess, epidural abscess, frontal sinus mucopyocele 9 —
PC Orbital apex syndrome, orbital abscess, fronto-orbital mucocele, 4 —
38
Raza et al. 2012 PC CSF leak repair, Paget disease, adjunct juvenile angiofibroma, and 6 Endonasal
esthesioneuroblastoma resection
Rajappa 2014 SLC Epidural abscess 1 —
et al.26
Bly et al.25 2014 SLC Tension pneumocephalus 1 Endonasal
(Continued )
12 PART 1 Perspectives and Evolution in Techniques

TABLE 3.1 Clinical Use of Endoscopic Transorbital Approaches—cont’d

Type of
No. of Multiport
Author Year Approach Pathology Treated Cases Access
Dallan et al.28 2015 SLC Adjunct resection spheno-orbital meningioma 3 Endonasal
PS Malignant schwannoma 1 —
29
Tham et al. 2015 SLC Fibrous dysplasia of orbit and ethmoid 1 Endonasal
Chen 27
2015 SLC Amygdalohippocampectomy 2 —
Ramakrishna 2016 SLC CSF leak repair, mucocele resection, orbital hematoma evacuation, evacuation of 13 —
et al.14 mucopyocele, optic nerve decompression, orbital fracture repair, sinonasal melanoma
resection, fibroxanthoma resection, frontal sinus fracture repair
SLC/PS CSF leak repair, ORIF orbit fracture, epidural abscess drainage 6 —
LRC Esthesioneuroblastoma resection, melanoma resection, CSF leak repair 4 —
PC CSF leak repair, esthesioneuroblastoma resection, meningocele repair, osteoma resection, 17 —
orbital fracture repair, osteoblastoma resection, fibrous dysplasia resection, squamous
cell carcinoma resection, encephalocele resection, meningioma resection
Almeida15 2017 SLC Resection spheno-orbital meningioma 2 —
Kong 31
2018 SLC Spheno-orbital meningioma, osteosarcoma, plasmacytoma, sebaceous gland carcinoma, 18 —
intraconal schwannoma, cystic teratoma, and fibrous dysplasia resection

CSF, cerebrospinal fluid; LRC, lateral retrocanthal; ORIF, open reduction with internal fixation; PC, precaruncular; PS, preseptal lower eyelid; SLC, superior eyelid crease.

TABLE 3.2 Progression of Preclinical studies for Transorbital Endoscopic Approaches

Author Year Approach Focus of Investigation
35
Ciporen et al. 20107 PC, endonasal Sella region, pituitary gland
17
Bly et al. 2014 LRC Sella region, MCF, and GG
16
Chen et al. 2014 SLC/LRC Amygdalohippocampectomy
37
Ciporen 2016 PC, endonasal Cavernous carotid
39
Ferrari et al. 2016 PS MCF, GG, V2, V3
22
Almeida et al. 2017 SLC MCA, sylvian fissure, crural cistern
36
Ciporen et al. 2017 PC, endonasal posterior circulation arterial clipping
18
Dallan et al. 2017 SLC Cavernous sinus
21
Di Somma et al. 2017 SLC, endonasal Optic nerve decompression by SLC
20
Di Somma et al. 2017 SLC Surgical freedom, optic nerve decompression open versus combined
19
Priddy et al. 2017 SLC MCF, GG, V2, V3
23
Di Somma et al. 2018 SLC Sylvian fissure, MCF
24
D Somma et al. 2018 SLC MCF, petrous apex, GG
32
Noiphithak et al. 2018 LRC MCF, petrous apex, GG

GG, gasserian ganglion; LRC, lateral retrocanthal; MCA, middle cerebral artery; MCF, middle cranial fossa; PC, precaruncular; PS, preseptal lower eyelid; SLC, superior eyelid crease; V2, maxillary division of
trigeminal nerve; V3, mandibular division of trigeminal nerve.

route with exposure of the middle cerebral artery.22,23 More
posterior exposure of the middle cranial fossa has also allowed
for dissection and drilling of the petrous apex with the ability to
visualize the cerebellopontine angle and internal auditory canal.24
Despite multiple preclinical studies showing theoretical expo-
sures and applications, practical clinical use of the SLC approach
has remained limited. The first clinical cases used the SLC
approach to repair CSF leaks, drain cerebral abscesses, decompress
pneumocephalus, and repair orbital fractures.a Decompression of
the optic nerve and repair of difficult CSF leaks from trauma
remain the most clinically used applications of the SLC approach.
Because of the trajectory, SLC is particularly helpful in repair of
a
References 11, 13, 14, 25, 26, 27.
 CHAPTER 3 Endoscopic Orbital Surgery: The Neurosurgeon’s Perspective 13

anterior cranial fossa CSF leaks originating from the orbital roof, as
well as CSF leaks from the frontal sinus.11,13,14 Orbital abscesses and
cranial epidural abscesses have also been a common target of the SLC
approach. In one case report, the SLC approach was chosen for a
patient with a prior cranioplasty after bifrontal craniotomies and
an isolated supraorbital epidural abscess. Because of the localized
approach, the epidural abscess was able to be evacuated without
hardware removal.26 One of the first reported nontraumatic appli-
cations of the SLC approach was a successful completion of two
amygdalohippocampectomies.27 Tumor resection transorbitally
with the SLC approach was first described by Dallan et al., who
reported its use in three spheno-orbital meningioma cases. In
these cases, subtotal resection was accomplished using the SLC
approach in conjunction with transpterygoid and transmaxillary
approaches for local control.29 Separate groups have also used the
SLC approach as both a solo and combined approach for multiple
types of mass lesions. Indications for SLC approach have included
biopsy and resection of fibrous dysplasia,30 resection of sinonasal
melanoma,14 and resection of fibroxanthoma.14 SLC as a solo
approach was used by Almeida et al. for resection of two
spheno-orbital meningiomas in patients with predominantly
hyperostosis and proptosis. By using the SLC approach to drill
out the bone of the hyperostotic orbital roof and lateral wall,
the proptosis cold be relieved, even though gross total resection
was not possible.15 The SLC approach is the most widely used
transorbital approach in the literature. It was the approach chosen
in the largest cohort of patients with mass lesions treated using
the transorbital route.31 This cohort consisted of a total of
18 patients. Twelve of the patients had a diagnosis of spheno-
orbital meningioma, and the other patients had diagnoses of oste-
osarcoma, plasmacytoma, sebaceous gland carcinoma, intraconal
schwannoma, cystic teratoma, and fibrous dysplasia. Several of
the tumors also had an intradural component, which was resected
and the dural defect was repaired using a double-button tech- • Fig. 3.3 Basic view provided by the lateral retrocanthal approach. The
nique.31 Only two of the patients with resections had a temporary upper panel is a lateral oblique view and the lower panel is an overhead view.
CSF leak, but no long-term CSF leaks were reported.

Lateral Retrocanthal Approach
The lateral retrocanthal (LRC) approach avoids a cutaneous inci-
sion by instead incising the lateral conjunctiva. Further dissection
and orbitotomy can provide access to the middle cranial fossa, the
infratemporal fossa, and the lateral cavernous sinus. The advantage
of the LRC approach over the SLC approach is the elimination of a
skin incision and preservation of the eyelid support system.31
However, the retrocanthal incision can limit the amount of orbital
dissection. Initial cadaver studies using the LRC approach allowed
for exposure of the middle cranial fossa and lateral cavernous sinus
without the need to remove the lateral orbital rim (Fig. 3.3).17
Later studies predicted that with the lateral orbital removal and lat-
eral retrocanthal dissection an amygdalohippocampectomy might
be feasible, but this was never tried in clinical practice.16 Instead,
the SLC approach was chosen to complete the first transorbital
amygdalohippocampectomies.27 The LRC approach has also been
modified to allow exposure of the lateral orbital rim with removal
of the orbital rim. This was modified by extending the LRC
incision into the lateral skin crease. With the lateral orbital
rim removed, the authors found more surgical freedom when
approaching the petrous apex through the orbit.33
Clinically, the LRC approach was first used to repair both CSF
leaks and orbital wall fractures.11,13 Tumor resection has been lim-
ited through the LRC approach, likely owing to the limited surgical
access. Ramakrishna et al. used the LRC approach to resect a
metastatic dysplastic melanoma along the infraorbital nerve. In
addition, an esthesioneuroblastoma that invaded into the orbit
was also resected using the LRC approach in combination with
an endoscopic endonasal approach.14
Precaruncular Approach
The PC approach provides medial access to the orbit with an avas-
cular plane.34 Through this access, both the anterior and posterior
ethmoidal arteries as well as the orbital apex can be visualized.11
With additional removal of the lamina papyracea, views of the pitu-
itary gland and sella turcica can be obtained (Fig. 3.4). In a cadaver
comparison, the PC approach provided a shorter working distance
to the pituitary gland, optic chiasm, and cavernous internal carotid
artery (ICA) than the transnasal approach.35 Combining the PC
with the endonasal approach provided better visualization of the
parasellar area. In addition, this combination was shown in
cadavers to allow for simulated clipping of the basilar artery
tip36 and cavernous carotid.37 Clinically the PC approach was
found to be useful with repair of CSF leaks,11,13,14 orbital frac-
tures,11,13,14 and meningoceles.11,37 The PC approach was the first
TONES approach used to resect a mass lesion. Moe et al. used it to
decompress cystic carcinoma by using a bilateral PC approach.11
Raza et al. also used this as a solo approach to decompress Paget
disease. They also combined the PC approach with the endonasal
route to resect juvenile angiofibroma and esthesioneuroblastoma.38
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esteem for his self-contempt; divine goodness and beauty to call
forth the passion of love and loyalty that is in him; the Story of the
Cross, the lifting up, which perhaps no human soul is able to resist if
it be fitly put. And the divine idea once received, the divine life is
imparted also, grows, is fostered and cherished by the Holy Ghost.
The man is a new creature, with other aims, and other thoughts, and
a life out of himself. The old things have passed away, and all things
have become new—the physical being embodying, so to speak, the
new life of the spirit.
We may well believe, indeed, that “conversion” is so proper to the
physical and spiritual constitution of man that it is inevitable to all of
us if only the ideas summed up in Christ be fitly introduced to the
soul.
The question then turns, not upon the possibility of converting the
most depraved, nor upon the potency of the ideas to be presented,
but altogether upon the power of putting these ideas so that a man
shall recognise and seize upon the fulness of Christ as the
necessary complement to the emptiness of which he is aware.

the habits of the good life.

But, the man converted, the work is not done. These sinners
exceedingly are not only sinful, but diseased; morbid conditions of
brain have been set up, and every one of them needs individual
treatment, like any other sick man, for disease slow of cure. For a
month, three months, six months, it will not do to let one of them
alone. Curative treatment is an absolute condition of success, and
here is where human co-operation is invited in what is primarily and
ultimately the work of God. There are diseased places in the brain,
where ill thoughts have of old run their course; and these sore places
must have time, blessed time, wherein to heal. That is to say, all
traffic in the old thoughts must be absolutely stopped, at whatever
cost.
Think of the Army of Vigilance which must be ever on the alert to
turn away the eyes of the patients from beholding evil; for, a single
suggestion, of drink, of uncleanness, and, presto, the old thoughts
run riot, and the work of healing must be begun anew. And, how to
keep out the old, but by administering the thoughts of the new life
watchfully, one by one, as they are needed, and can be taken;
offering them with engaging freshness, with comforting fitness, until
at last the period of anxious nursing is over, the habits of the good
life are set up, and the patient is able to stand on his own feet and
labour for his own meat. This is no work to be undertaken wholesale.
The spiritual care of a multitude diseased, even physically diseased,
of sin, is no light thing. And if it be not undertaken systematically, and
carried out efficiently, the whole scheme must of necessity fall
through. Who is sufficient for these things? No one, perhaps; but a
following of a great corps of nurses trained to minister to minds
diseased, and with the experience and the method belonging to a
professional calling, is surely, a fitting qualification for the Herculean
task.

the ease of discipline.

How readily we can understand how, in the days when monarchs
were more despotic than they are now, one and another would take
refuge in a convent for the ease of doing the will of another rather
than his own! Is not this the attraction of conventual life to-day, and is
not this why the idea of the Salvation Army is powerfully attractive to
some of us who know, all the same, that we (individually) should be
wrong to lay down our proper function of ordering and acting out our
own lives. But for these, strong of impulse and weak of will, who
have no power at all to do the good they vaguely and feebly desire,
oh, the ease of being taken up into a strong and beneficent
organisation, of having their comings and goings, their doings and
havings, ordered for them! Organisation, regimentation, we are
reminded, make a hero of Tommy Atkins. And these all have it in
them to be heroes, because, restlessness, rebellion, once subdued,
they will rejoice more than any others in the ease of simply doing as
they are bidden. Here is a great secret of power, to treat these,
lapsed and restored, like children; for what is the object of family
discipline, of that obedience which has been described as “the whole
duty of a child”? Is it not to ease the way of the child, while will is
weak and conscience immature, by setting it on the habits of the
good life where it is as easy to go right as for a locomotive to run on
its lines? Just such present relief from responsibility, such an interval
for development, do these poor children of larger growth demand for
their needs; and any existing possibility of ordering and disciplining
this mixed multitude must needs appear to us a surpassing
adaptation of “supply” to “demand.”
The saving grace of work, and the healing power of the fresh air,
again, should do their part in the restoration of the “submerged.” But
it is not our part to examine the methods proposed by General
Booth, or to adumbrate his chances of success. Our concern is
solely with the children. No doubt this great social scheme has been
discussed, more or less, in every family, and the attitude of thought
towards all good work which the children will henceforth take may
depend very much upon how far the underlying principles are made
clear to them in one such typical instance. Whatever the agency, let
the children be assured that the work is the work of God, to be
accomplished in the strength of God, according to the laws of God;
that it is our part to make ourselves acquainted with the laws we
would work out, and that, having done all, we wait for the inspiration
of the divine life, even as the diligent farmer waits upon sunshine
and shower.

FOOTNOTES:
[14] Issue of Darkest England.
 CHAPTER XVI

DISCIPLINE
What part does Discipline play in your system of education? We
should hail the query as manifesting a cheering degree of interest if
we were not quite sure that our interlocutor uses discipline as a
euphuism for punishment. That conviction puts one’s mind into the
attitude of protest. In the first place, we have no system of education.
We hold that great things, such as nature, life, education are
“cabined, cribbed, confined” in proportion as they are systematised.
We have a method of education, it is true, but method is no more
than a way to an end and is free, yielding, adaptive as Nature
herself. Method has a few comprehensive laws according to which
details shape themselves, as one naturally shapes one’s behaviour
to the acknowledged law that fire burns. System, on the contrary,
has an infinity of rules and instructions as to what you are to do and
how you are to do it. Method in education follows Nature humbly,
stands aside and gives her fair play.
System leads Nature: assists, supplements, rushes in to
undertake those very tasks which Nature has made her own since
the world was. Does Nature endow every young thing, child or kitten,
with a wonderful capacity for inventive play? Nay, but, says System, I
can help here; I will invent games for the child and help his plays,
and make more use of this power of his than unaided Nature knows
how. So Dame System teaches the child to play, and he enjoys it;
but, alas, there is no play in him, no initiative, when he is left to
himself; and so on all along the lines. System is fussy and zealous
and produces enormous results—in the teacher! Method pursues a
“wise passiveness.” You watch the teacher and are hardly aware that
he is doing anything. The children take the initiative, but, somehow,
the result here is in these and not in the teacher. They develop,
become daily more and more of persons, with
“The reason firm, the temperate will,
Endurance, foresight, strength, and skill.”

Such as these are the golden fruits which ripen under the eyes of the
parent who is wise to discriminate between the rôle of nature and
that of the educator, who follows sympathetically and dutifully the
lead of the great mother.
“Oh, then you have no discipline. I thought not. I daresay it would
answer very well to leave children to themselves and make them
happy. Children are always good when they are happy, are they
not?” Not so fast, dear reader. He who would follow a great leader
must needs endeavour himself, Ohne Hast ohne Rast, and the
divine lead which we call Nature is infinitely blessed in the following,
but steep to tread and hard to find and by no means to be
confounded with leisurely strolling in ways of our own devising.
The parent who would educate his children, in any large sense of
the word, must lay himself out for high thinking and lowly living; the
highest thinking indeed possible to the human mind and the
simplest, directest living.
This thought of discipline, for example, is one of the large
comprehensive ideas which must inform and direct the life, rather
than be gathered up into a rule, easy to remember and easy to
apply, when, now and then, comes the occasion for it. If Tommy is
naughty, whip him and send him to bed—is a ready-reckoner kind of
rule, handy to have about one, and is the sort of thing which many
people mean by discipline. Now we would not say that punishment is
never to be used, very much otherwise. Neither would we say that
physic is never to be taken. But punishment, like physic, is a
casualty only of occasional occurrence at the worst, and punishment
and physic alike are reduced to a minimum in proportion as we
secure healthy conditions of body and mind. We are not anxious to
lay down canons for punishment. Mr. Herbert Spencer has not
perhaps said the last word, but he has given us a quite convenient
rule to go on with. A child should be punished by the natural
consequences of his offence. To carry this suggestion out au pied de
la lettre would often enough mean lasting, even fatal injury to the
child, bodily and mental. You cannot let the indolent child be
punished by ignorance, or the wilful and adventurous child break his
limb; but, so far as punishments have been allowed to become
necessary, the nature of the offence gives one a clue to a suitable
punishment. The child who does not eat his porridge goes without
his plum. This is, anyway, a punishment in kind, perhaps the nearest
approach to natural consequences which it is advisable to try.
But parents should face the fact that children rather enjoy
punishments. In these they find the opportunities, so frequent is
story-books, so rare in real life, for showing a fine pluck. The child
who is in punishment is very commonly enjoying himself immensely,
because he is respecting himself intensely. There is a bit of heroism
in the bearing of the penalty which is very apt to do away with any
sense of contrition for the offence, and the plucky little fellow, who
takes his punishment with an air, is by no means a bad and
hardened young offender, but is an economist of opportunities,
making the best of what comes to hand for his own real education.
His mother’s distress, his father’s disapproval, these are quite
different matters, and carry no compensating sense of hardihood.
Reflections like these lead one to spare the rod, not at all out of over
sensibility to the child’s physical suffering, for we would have him
endure hardness if we mean to make a man of him, but purely
because it is not easy to find a punishment that does not defeat its
own end.
The light smart slap, with which the mother visits the little child
when he is naughty, is often both effective and educative. It changes
the current of baby’s thoughts, and he no longer wishes to pull his
sister’s hair. But should not the slap be a last resort when no other
way is left of changing his thoughts? With the older child a theory of
punishments rests less upon the necessity to change the culprit’s
thoughts than upon the hope of forming a new association of ideas,
that is, of certain pains and penalties inevitably attached to certain
forms of wrong-doing. This, we know too well, is a teaching of life,
and is not to be overlooked in education. The experience of each of
us goes to prove that every breach of law, in thought or deed, is
attended by its own penalties, immediate or remote, and the child
who is not brought up to know that “due follows deed in course,” is
sent out to his first campaign undrilled and untrained, a raw recruit.
Our contention is (a), that the need for punishment is mostly
preventable, and (b), that the fear of punishment is hardly ever so
strong a motive as the delight of the particular wrong-doing in view. If
punishment were necessarily reformative and able to cure us all of
those “sins we have a mind to,” why, the world would be a very good
world, for no manner of sin escapes its present punishment. The fact
is, not that punishment is unnecessary or that it is useless, but that it
is inadequate and barely touches our aim; which is, not the visitation
of the offence, but the correction of that fault of character of which
the offence is the outcome. Jemmy tells lies and we punish him, and
by so doing we mark our sense of the offence; but, probably, no
punishment could be invented drastic enough to cure Jemmy of
telling lies in the future, and this is the thing to be aimed at. No, we
must look deeper; we must find out what weak place in character,
what false habit of thinking, leads Jemmy to tell lies, and we must
deal with this false habit in the only possible way, by forming the
contrary habit of true thinking, which will make Jemmy grow up a
true man. “I think I have never told a lie since,” said a lady,
describing the single conversation in which her father cured her of
lying by setting up an altogether new train of thought.
Not mere spurts of occasional punishment, but the incessant
watchfulness and endeavour which go to the forming and preserving
of the habits of the good life, is what we mean by discipline, and from
this point of view never were there such disciplinarians as the
parents who labour on the lines we indicate. Every habit of courtesy,
consideration, order, neatness, punctuality, truthfulness, is itself a
schoolmaster, and orders life with the most unfailing diligence.
A habit is so easily formed, so strong to compel. There are few
parents who would not labour diligently if for every month’s labour
they were able to endow one of their children with £1000. But, in a
month, a parent may form a habit in his child of such infinite value
that your thousand pounds is a mere bagatelle by comparison. We
have often urged that the great discovery which modern science has
brought to the aid of the educator is, that every habit of the life sets
up, as it were, a material record in the brain tissues. We all know that
we think as we are used to think and act as we are used to act. Ever
since man began to notice the ways of his own mind this law of habit
has been matter of common knowledge, and has been more or less
acted upon by parents and other trainers of children. The well
brought-up child has always been a child carefully trained in good
habits. But it is only within our own day that it has been possible to
lay down definite laws for the formation of habits. Until now, the
mother who wished to train her children in such and such a good
habit has found herself hindered by a certain sense of casualty. “I am
sure I am always telling her”—to keep her drawers neat, or to hold
up her head and speak nicely, or to be quick and careful about an
errand,—says the poor mother, with tears in her eyes; and indeed
this, of “always telling” him or her is a weary process for the mother;
dull, because hopeless. She goes on “telling” to deliver her own soul,
for she has long since ceased to expect any result; and we know
how dreary is work without hope. But, perhaps even his mother does
not know how unutterably dreary is this “always telling,” which
produces nothing, to the child. At first he is fretful and impatient
under the patter of idle words; then he puts up with the inevitable,
but comes at last hardly to be aware that the thing is being said. As
for any impression on his character, any habit really formed, all this
labour is without result; the child does the thing when he cannot help
it and evades as often as he can. And the poor disappointed mother
says, “I’m sure I’ve tried as much as any mother to train my children
in good habits, but I have failed.” She is not altogether dispirited,
however. The children have not the habits she wished to train them
in, but they grow up warm-hearted, good-natured, bright young
people, by no means children to be ashamed of. All the same, the
mother’s sense of failure is a monition to be trusted. Our failures in
life are, perhaps, due, for the most part, to the defects of our
qualities, and, therefore, it is not enough to send children into the
world with just the inheritance of character they get from their
parents.
 Let us offer a few definite practical counsels to a parent who
wishes to deal seriously with a bad habit. First.—Let us remember
that this bad habit has made its record in the brain. Second.—There
is one way only of obliterating such record; the absolute cessation of
the habit for a considerable space of time, say, some six or eight
weeks. Third.—During this interval new growth, new cell
connections, are somehow or other taking place, and the physical
seat of the evil is undergoing a natural healing. Fourth.—But the only
way to secure this pause is to introduce some new habit as attractive
to the child as is the wrong habit you set yourself to cure. Fifth.—As
the bad habit usually arises from the defect of some quality in the
child it should not be difficult for the parent who knows his child’s
character to introduce the contrary good habit. Sixth.—Take a
moment of happy confidence between parent and child; introduce,
by tale or example, the stimulating idea; get the child’s will with you.
Seventh.—Do not tell him to do the new thing, but quietly and
cheerfully see that he does it on all possible occasions, for weeks if
need be, all the time stimulating the new idea, until it takes great
hold of the child’s imagination. Eighth.—Watch most carefully against
any recurrence of the bad habit. Ninth.—Should the old fault recur,
do not condone it. Let the punishment, chiefly the sense of your
estrangement, be acutely felt. Let the child feel the shame of not only
having done wrong, but of having done the wrong when it was
perfectly easy to avoid the wrong and do the right. Above all “watch
unto prayer” and teach your child dependence upon divine aid in this
warfare of the spirit; but also, the absolute necessity for his own
efforts.
Susie is an inquisitive little girl. Her mother is surprised and not
always delighted to find that the little maid is constantly on voyages
of discovery, which the servants speak of to each other as prying
and poking. Is her mother engaged in talk with a visitor or the nurse
—behold, Susie is at her side, sprung from nobody knows where. Is
a confidential letter being read aloud—Susie is within earshot. Does
the mother think she has put away a certain book where the children
cannot find it—Susie volunteers to produce it. Does she tell her
husband that cook has asked for two days leave of absence—up
jumps Susie, with all the ins and outs of the case. “I really don’t know
what to do with the child. It is difficult to put down one’s foot and say
you ought not to know this or that or the other. Each thing in itself is
harmless enough, but it is a little distressing to have a child who is
always peering about for gossipy information.” Yes, it is tiresome, but
is not a case for despair, nor for thinking hard things of Susie,
certainly not for accepting the inevitable. Regarding this tiresome
curiosity as the defect of its quality, the mother casts about for the
quality, and, behold, Susie is reinstated. What ails the child is an
inordinate desire for knowledge, run to seed, and allowed to spend
itself on unworthy objects. When the right moment comes, introduce
Susie to some delightful study, of Nature, for example, which will
employ all her prying proclivities. Once the new idea has taken
possession of the little girl, a little talk should follow about the
unworthiness of filling one’s thoughts with trifling matters so that
nothing really interesting can get in. For weeks together see that
Susie’s mind is too full of large matters to entertain the small ones;
and, once the inquisitive habit has been checked, encourage the
child’s active mind to definite progressive work on things worth while.
Susie’s unworthy curiosity will soon cease to be a trial to her parents.
 CHAPTER XVII

SENSATIONS AND FEELINGS

Part I
Children whose parents have little theoretic knowledge of the
values of the various food-stuffs are often thoroughly nourished; their
parents rely on what they call common-sense; and the result is, on
the whole, better than if scientific consideration were given to the
family dietary. But this common-sense has usually scientific opinion
for its basis, though the fact may be forgotten, and when scientific
opinion has become the groundwork of habit it is of more value, and
works in a more simple way, than while it is still in the stage of
experiment. In the same way it is a good thing to have such an
acquaintance with the functions of human nature that we act on our
knowledge unconsciously, and do not even know that we possess it.
But if we have no such floating capital of cognisance we must study
the subject, even if we have to make experiments. Most people
suppose that the sensations, feelings, and emotions of a child are
matters that take care of themselves. Indeed, we are apt to use the
three terms indiscriminately, without attaching very clear ideas to
them. But they cover, collectively, a very important educational field;
and though common sense, that is to say judgments formed upon
inherited knowledge, often helps us to act wisely without knowing
why, we shall probably act more wisely if we act reasonably.
Let us consider, first, the subject of sensations. We speak of
sensations of cold, and sensations of heat, and sensations of pain,
and we are quite right. We also speak of sensations of fear and
sensations of pleasure, and we are commonly wrong. The
sensations have their origin in impressions received by the several
organs of sense—eye, tongue, nostrils, ear, the surface of the
external skin—and are conveyed by the sensory nerves, some to the
spinal cord and some to the lower region of the brain. Many
sensations we know nothing about; when we become aware of our
sensations it is because communications are sent by nerve fibres,
acting as telegraph wires, from the sensorium to the thinking brain,
and this happens when we give our attention to any one of the
multitudinous messages carried by the sensory nerves. The
physiology of the senses is too complicated a subject for us to touch
upon here, but it is deeply interesting, and perhaps no better
introduction exists than Professor Clifford’s little book, “Seeing and
Thinking” (Macmillan). Now the senses are “The Five Gateways of
Knowledge,” to quote the title of a little book which many of us have
used in early days; and an intelligent person should be aware of, and
capable of forming judgments upon, the sensations he receives.
We all recognise that the training of the senses is an important
part of education. One caution is necessary: from the very first a
child’s sensations should be treated as matters of objective and not
of subjective interest. Marmalade, for example, is interesting, not
because it is “nice”—a fact not to be dwelt upon at all—but because
one can discern in it different flavours and the modifying effect of the
oil secreted in the rind of the orange. We shall have occasion to
speak more of this subject later; but a useful piece of education is
this of centering a child’s interest in the objects which produce his
sensations and not in himself as the receiver of these sensations.
The purpose of so-called object lessons is, to assist a child, by
careful examination of a given object, to find out all he can about it
through the use of his several senses. General information about the
object is thrown in and lodges only because the child’s senses have
been exercised, and his interest aroused. Object lessons are a little
in disfavour, just now, for two reasons. In the first place, miserable
fragments are presented to the children which have little of the
character of the object in situ, and are apt to convey inadequate, if
not wrong, ideas. In the next place, object lessons are commonly
used as a means to introduce children to hard words, such as
opaque and translucent, which never become part of their living
thought until they pick them up for themselves incidentally as they
have need of them. But the abuse of this kind of teaching should not
cause us to overlook its use. No child can grow up without daily
object teaching, whether casual or of set purpose, and the more
thorough this is the more intelligent and observant will he become. It
is singular how few people are capable of developing an intelligent
curiosity about the most attractive objects, except as their interest is
stimulated from without. The baby is a wonderful teacher in this
matter of object lessons. To be sure his single pupil is his own small
self, but his progress is amazing. At first he does not see any
difference between a picture of a cow and the living animal; big and
little, far and near, hard and soft, hot and cold, are all alike to him; he
wishes to hold the moon in his pinafore, to sit on the pond, to poke
his finger into the candle, not because he is a foolish little person,
but because he is profoundly ignorant of the nature of the contents of
this unintelligible world. But how he works! he bangs his spoon to try
if it produces sound; he sucks it to try its flavour; he fumbles it all
over and no doubt finds out whether it is hard or soft, hot or cold,
rough or smooth; he gazes at it with the long gaze of infancy, so that
he may learn the look of it; it is an old friend and an object of desire
when he sees it again, for he has found out that there is much joy in
a spoon. This goes on with great diligence for a couple of years, at
the end of which time baby has acquired enough knowledge of the
world to conduct himself in a very dignified and rational way.
This is what happens under Nature’s teaching; and for the first
five or six years of his life everything, especially everything in action,
is an object of intelligent curiosity to the child—the street or the field
is a panorama of delight, the shepherd’s dog, the baker’s cart, the
man with the barrow, are full of vivid interest. He has a thousand
questions to ask, he wants to know about everything; he has, in fact,
an inordinate appetite for knowledge. We soon cure all that: we
occupy him with books instead of things; we evoke other desires in
place of the desire to know; and we succeed in bringing up the
unobservant man (and more unobservant woman), who discerns no
difference between an elm, a poplar and a lime tree, and misses
very much of the joy of living. By the way, why is it that the baby
does not exercise with purpose his organ of smell? He screws up a
funny little nose when he is taught to sniff at a flower, but this is a
mere trick; he does not naturally make experiments as to whether
things are odorous, while each of his other senses affords him keen
joy. No doubt the little nose is involuntarily very active, but can his
inertness in this matter be an hereditary failing? It may be that we all
allow ourselves to go about with obtuse nostrils. If so, this is a matter
for the attention of mothers, who should bring up their children not
only to receive, which is involuntary and vague, but to perceive
odours from the first.
Two points call for our attention in this education of the senses;
we must assist the child to educate himself on Nature’s lines, and we
must take care not to supplant and crowd out Nature and her
methods with that which we call education. Object lessons should be
incidental; and this is where the family enjoys so great an advantage
over the school. It is almost impossible that the school should give
any but set lessons, but this sort of teaching in the family falls in with
the occurrence of the object. The child who finds that wonderful and
beautiful object, a “paper” wasp’s nest, attached to a larch-twig, has
his object lesson on the spot from father or mother. The grey colour,
the round symmetrical shape, the sort of cup and ball arrangement,
the papery texture, the comparative size, the comparative
smoothness, the odour or lack of odour, the extreme lightness, the
fact that it is not cold to the touch. These and fifty other particulars
the child finds out unaided, or with no more than a word, here and
there, to direct his observation. One does not every day find a
wasp’s nest, but much can be got out of every common object, and
the commoner the better, which falls naturally under the child’s
observation, a piece of bread, a lump of coal, a sponge. In the first
place it is unnecessary in the family to give an exhaustive
examination to every object; one quality might be discussed in this,
another quality in that. We eat our bread and milk and notice that
bread is absorbent, and we overhaul our experience to discover
other things which we know to be absorbent also, and we do what
we can to compare these things as to whether they are less
absorbent or more absorbent than bread. This is exceedingly
important: the unobservant person states that an object is light and
considers that he has stated an ultimate fact: the observant person
makes the same statement, but has in his mind a relative scale, and
his judgment is of the more value because he compares it silently
with a series of substances to which this is relatively light. It is
important that children should learn to recognise that high, low,
sweet, bitter, long, short, agreeable, &c., &c., are comparative terms,
while square, round, black, white, are positive terms, the application
of which is not affected by comparison with other objects. Care in
this matter makes for higher moral, as well as intellectual
development: half the dissensions in the world arise from an
indiscriminate use of epithets. “Would you say your bread (at dinner)
was light or heavy?” The child would probably answer, “rather light.”
“Yes, we can only say that a thing is light by comparing it with others;
what is bread light compared with?” “A stone, a piece of coal, of
cheese, of butter of the same size.” “But it is heavy compared with?”
“A piece of sponge cake, a piece of sponge, of cork, of pumice,” and
so on. “What do you think it weighs?” “An ounce, an ounce and a
half.” “We’ll try after dinner; you had better have another piece and
save it,” and the weighing after dinner is a delightful operation. The
power of judging of weight is worth cultivating. We heard the other
day of a gentleman who was required at a bazaar to guess the
weight of a monster cake; he said it weighed twenty-eight pounds
fourteen ounces, and it did, exactly. Cæteris paribus, one has a
greater respect for the man who made this accurate judgment than
for the well-intentioned but vague person, who suggested that the
cake might weigh ten pounds. Letters, book parcels, an apple, an
orange, a vegetable marrow, fifty things in the course of the day give
opportunities for this kind of object teaching, i.e., the power of
forming accurate judgments as to the relative and absolute weight of
objects by their resistance, which is perceived by our sense of touch,
though opposed to our muscular force. By degrees the children are
trained to perceive that the relative weights of objects depend upon
their relative density, and are introduced to the fact that we have a
standard of weight.
In the same way children should be taught to measure objects by
the eye. How high is that candlestick? How long and broad that
picture-frame? and so on—verifying their statements. What is the
circumference of that bowl? of the clock-face? of that flower-bed?
How tall is so-and-so, and so-and-so? How many hands high are the
horses of their acquaintance? Divide a slip of wood, a sheet of paper
into halves, thirds, quarters by the eye; lay a walking-stick at right
angles with another; detect when a picture, curtain, &c., hangs out of
the perpendicular. This sort of practice will secure for children what is
called a correct or true eye.
A quick and true ear is another possession that does not come by
Nature, or anyway, if it does, it is too often lost. How many sounds
can you distinguish in a sudden silence out of doors? Let these be
named in order from the less to the more acute. Let the notes of the
birds be distinguished, both call-notes and song-notes; the four or
five distinct sounds to be heard in the flow of a brook. Cultivate
accuracy in distinguishing footfalls and voices; in discerning, with
their eyes shut, the direction from which a sound proceeds, in which
footsteps are moving. Distinguish passing vehicles by their sounds;
as lorry, brougham, dog-cart. Music is, no doubt, the instrument par
excellence for this kind of ear culture. Mrs. Curwen’s “Child Pianist”
puts carefully graduated means for this kind of culture into the hands
of parents; and, if a child never become a performer, to have
acquired a cultivated and correct ear is no small part of a musical
education.
We do not attach enough importance to the discrimination of
odours, whether as a safeguard to health, or as a source of
pleasure. Half the people one knows have nostrils which register no
difference between the atmosphere of a large, and so-called “airy,”
room, whose windows are never opened, and that of a room in which
a through current of air is arranged for at frequent intervals: and yet
health depends largely on a delicate perception as to the purity of
the atmosphere. The odours which result in diphtheria or typhoid are
perceptible, however faint, and a nose trained to detect the faintest
malodorous particles in food, clothing, or dwelling, is a panoply
against disease to the possessor.
Then, odours enter more readily than other sense perceptions
into those—
“Sensations sweet,
Felt in the blood, and felt along the heart,”
 , g ,

which add so much to the sum of our happiness, because they unite
themselves so readily with our purely incorporeal joys by links of
association. “I never smell woodruff without being reminded——” is
the sort of thing we hear and say continually, but we do not trouble
ourselves to realise that we owe a double joy to the odour of the
woodruff (or it may be, alas! a reflected sorrow)—the joy of the
pleasant influences about us when we pluck the flower, and the
possibly more personal joy of that other time with which we
associate it. Every new odour perceived is a source, if not of
warning, of recurrent satisfaction or interest. We are acquainted with
too few of the odours which the spring-time offers. Only this spring
the present writer learned two peculiarly delightful odours quite new
to her, that of young larch twigs, which have much the same kind
and degree of fragrance as the flower of the syringa, and the
pleasant musky aroma of a box-hedge. Children should be trained,
for example, to shut their eyes when they come into the drawing-
room and discover by their nostrils what odorous flowers are
present, should discriminate the garden odours let loose by a shower
of rain:—
“Houses and rooms are full of perfumes, the shelves are crowded with
perfumes,
I breathe the fragrance myself and know it and like it.
* * * * *
The atmosphere is not a perfume, it has no taste of the distillation, it is
odourless,
It is for my mouth for ever, I am in love with it.
* * * * *
The sniff of green leaves, and dry leaves, and of the shore, and dark-
coloured sea-rocks, and of hay in the barn.”

—The American poet has, perhaps, done more than any other to
express the pleasure to be found in odours. This is one direction in
which much remains to be done; we have not yet arrived even at a
scale of odours, as of sound and of colour.
Flavour, again, offers a wide range for delicate discrimination. At
first sight it would appear difficult to cultivate the sense of flavour
without making a child more or less of a gourmand, but the fact is,
that the strong flavours which titillate the palate destroy the power of
perception. The young child who lives upon milk-foods has, probably,
more pleasure in flavour than the diner-out who is au fait with the
confections of a cordon bleu. At the same time, one would prefer to
make flavour a source of interest rather than of sensuous pleasure to
children: it is better that they should try to discern a flavour with their
eyes shut, for example, than that they should be allowed to think or
say that things are “nice” or “nasty.” This sort of fastidiousness
should be cried down. It is not well to make a child eat what he does
not like, as that would only make him dislike that particular dish
always; but to let him feel that he shows a want of self-control and
manliness when he expresses distaste for wholesome food is likely
to have a lasting effect.
We have barely touched on the sorts of object lessons, appealing
now to one sense and now to another, which should come
incidentally every day in the family. We are apt to regard an
American Indian as a quite uneducated person; he is, on the
contrary, highly educated in so far as that he is able to discriminate
sensory impressions, and to take action upon these in a way which
is bewildering to the book-learned European. It would be well for
parents to educate a child, for the first half-dozen years of his life at
any rate, on “Red Indian” lines. Besides the few points we have
mentioned, he should be able to discriminate colours and shades of
colour; relative degrees of heat in woollen, wood, iron, marble, ice;
should learn the use of the thermometer; should discriminate objects
according to their degrees of hardness; should have a cultivated eye
and touch for texture; should, in fact, be able to get as much
information about an object from a few minutes’ study, as to its form,
colour, texture, size, weight, qualities, parts, characteristics, as he
could learn out of many pages of a printed book. We approach the
subject by the avenue of the child’s senses rather than by that of the
objects to be studied, because just now we have in view the
occasional test exercises, the purpose of which is to give thorough
culture to the several senses. An acquaintance with nature and
natural objects is another thing, and is to be approached in a slightly
different way. A boy who is observing a beetle does not consciously
apply his several senses to the beetle, but lets the beetle take the
initiative, which the boy reverently follows: but the boy who is in the
habit of doing daily sensory gymnastics will learn a great deal more
about the beetle than he who is not so trained.
Definite object lessons differ from these incidental exercises in
that an object is in a manner exhausted by each of the senses in turn
and every atom of information it will yield got out of it. A good plan is
to make this sort of a lesson a game, pass your object round—piece
of bread, for example—and let each child tell some fact that he
discovers by touch, another round by smell, again by taste, and
again by sight. Children are most ingenious in this kind of game, and
it affords opportunities to give them new words, as friable, elastic,
when they really ask to be helped to express some discovery they
have made. The children learn to think with exactitude too, to
distinguish between friable and brittle, for example, and any common
information that is offered to them in the course of these exercises
becomes a possession for ever. A good game in the nature of an
object lesson, suitable for a birthday party, is to have a hundred
small objects arranged on a table, unknown to the children, then lead
the little party into the room, allow them three minutes to walk round
the table, and then, when they have left the room, let them write, or
tell in a corner, the names of all the objects they recollect. Some
children will easily get fifty or sixty.
No doubt the best and happiest exercise of the senses springs
out of a loving familiarity with the world of nature, but the sorts of
gymnastics we have indicated render the perceptions more acute
and are greatly enjoyed by children. That the sensations should not
be permitted to minister unduly to the subjective consciousness of
the child is the great point to be borne in mind.
 CHAPTER XVIII

SENSATIONS AND FEELINGS

Part II

“These beauteous forms,

Through a long absence, have not been to me
As is a landscape to a blind man’s eye;
But oft, in lonely rooms, and ’mid the din
Of towns and cities, I have owed to them,
In hours of weariness, sensations sweet,
Felt in the blood, and felt along the heart;
And passing even into my purer mind,
With tranquil restoration:—feelings, too,
Of unremembered pleasure: such, perhaps,
As have no slight or trivial influence
On that best portion of a good man’s life,
His little, nameless, unremembered acts
Of kindness and of love.”
—W. Wordsworth, Tintern Abbey.

Insight—the so to speak scientific grip of a great poet—is amongst

those “more things” in heaven and earth than our philosophy has
dreamed of. Wordsworth tells us that after the lapse of years, these
beauteous forms (of Tintern Abbey) gave him sensations. Now we
are apt to think that sensations can only be immediate, perceived on
the instant that the object is present to the senses; but the poet is, as
usual, absolutely right: we may have, so to speak, reflected
sensations, as well as those that are immediate, because a
conscious sensation depends upon the recognition of an impression
in the sensory centres, and this recognition may be evoked, not only
by a repeated sensation, but by an association which recalls the