The Harrower collection and its place in the history of ophthalmic pathology

A set of ophthalmic pathology slides made in 1882 by Dr. David Harrower, a Massachusetts physician who studied at Moorfields Eye Hospital, and Mr. W. Jennings Milles, the curator of Moorfields, are reviewed. They are of historical significance, as they were made at a time when microscopic examination of ocular tissues was first being introduced, and they represent one of the earliest examples of the use of celloidin for embedding ocular tissue. The slides are well preserved and contain cases demonstrating a wide spectrum of ocular pathology. The Harrower collection is possibly the oldest existing slide collection of ophthalmic histopathology.