The neglect of Purkinje's technique of ophthalmoscopy prior to Helmholtz's invention of the ophthalmoscope

A technique for examining the fundus of the eye was devised by Jan Evangelista Purkinje a generation before Helmholtz invented the ophthalmoscope. Yet, Purkinje's technique of ophthalmoscopy went virtually unnoticed by his contemporaries. This neglect of Purkinje's discovery has never been fully explained and warrants re-examination.