Medical Dictionary

Argyll Robertson pupil

noun Ar·gyll Rob·ert·son pupil \är-ˌgīl-ˈräb-ərt-sən-\

Medical Definition of ARGYLL ROBERTSON PUPIL

:  a pupil characteristic of neurosyphilis that fails to react to light but still reacts in accommodation to distance

Biographical Note for ARGYLL ROBERTSON PUPIL

Robertson, Douglas Argyll (1837–1909), British ophthalmologist. The leading ophthalmologist in Scotland, Robertson specialized in the physiology and diseases of the eye. He published more than fifty medical papers on such topics as etiology of glaucoma, retinitis pigmentosa, and hydrophthalmos. In 1869 he produced his most significant contribution, an article concerned with accommodation in miosis associated with spinal diseases. Robertson was also a popular teacher, and the naming of the condition in his honor gave rise to the quip that it was far better to be an Argyll Robertson pupil than to have one.

Browse

How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.
Test your vocab with our fun, fast game
Ailurophobia, and 9 other unusual fears