INTEREST in improvement of the cosmetic appearance of the patient after loss of an eye has resulted in the trial of a wide variety of reconstructive maneuvers. A clarification of the objectives of the operation may aid in the evaluation of current procedures. The conjunctiva should first be divided with a thin, sharp pointed knife and next all the muscles inserted into the globe; this being done, the point of the knife would be carried cautiously backwards to the posterior part of the orbit, and the optic nerve divided; the nerve will be more easily divided by directing the knife backwards into the orbit on the nasal side of the globe, as the optic nerve is situated nearer on this side. This quotation is from Cleoburey's1 original description of an enucleation, which was published in 1826. The operation differed little in the hands of many surgeons during the next