MEDICAL - TRACHOMA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000600240728-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 7, 2011
• Sequence Number: 728
• Publication Date: August 5, 1949
• Content Type: REPORT

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/07: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600240728-7
CLASSIFI 'ION
COUNTRY VT
HOW
WHERE
PUBLISHED
DATE
'LANGUAGE
DATE OF
INFORMATION 1949
DATE DIST. I;- Aug 1949
Moscow
NO. OF PAGES
4
Russian
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
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THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
Prof V. V. Chirkovskiy
Acad Med Sci.
Dir, First Leningrad Mad Inst
In my Stalin Prize monograph, Trachoma, published In 1947, I began by
pointing out the prevalence of trachoma in prerevolutionary Russia, and the
great strides made 3y the Soviet regime in fightinc, ~hia dread disease. The
excellent results already achieved guarantee the eventual 61.iminstion of
trachoma in our countr7.
I presented the clinical picture of the tra.ahoLatous process, emphasizing
the so-called layers of infection in tite form of eovere conjunctivitis as a
trachomatous complication. Although conjunctivitis dose facilitate the spread
of trachomatous infections, in my opinion there is no basis for the theory that
infectious epidemic conjunctivitis must precede the rise of trachana.
I especially emphasized the problems of differential diagnosis of trachoma
and other follicular processes, and the importance of isolating trachcme as
an infectious procee2, oni generis, caused by a virus, and different from
follicalnr catarrh, etc., in its origin and behavior. Bicmicroscopic data on
changes in the cornea and epithelium are extremely valuable in diagnosis of
the early stegec of t.-achma. Observations made by my colleagues and myself
'with the aid of the so-called alit lamp have proved the importance of bio-
microscopy in diagnosis of the earliest symptoms of trachoma.
The most important conclusion to be drawn from the bicmicro,icopic investi-
gations to that in trachoma the cornea is not only involved in the process as
a result of the secondary influence of the afflicted conjunctiva, b!tt to at
the same time a primary focal point for the trachomatous virus.
Two basic, antagonistic points of view on trachoma developed in the
pathohistological.research of Soviet ophthalmologists in the years before
World War II. One group (in whose number I was included) considered trachoma
an infectious inflaumation of a proliferous nature. The other group (a minor-
ity) considered trachoma a hyperplastic process.. This hyperplastic theory is
a
CLASSIFICATION
NSRB
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/07: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600240728-7
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/07: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600240728-7
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