The present status of the Hirschberg Library

Conclusion Although the Hirschberg Library is used only by a few scholars today, it remains a precious and useful collection of ophthalmic literature, especially as old literature on ophthalmology is scanty in Japan. Recently I read Arthur Hailey's novel Roots and I was quite surprised to learn that the records of ships of two hundred years ago are still kept in good order so that the author could trace back the history of the ships by record. Old literature is precious, but as the amount of new information increases exponentially, the method of storing the information is rapidly changing. Computers will be utilized more and more, such as is the case in publishing information on the sequence of DNA and proteins. At the same time, books and journals will continue to be just as important, for the exchange of results and of new ideas, and for reviews.At present, Dr. F.C. Blodi, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Iowa, USA, is preparing a detailed bibliography on Hirschberg.