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Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn
15 July 1606, Leiden – 14 October 1669, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
♦ Tobias heals his blind father / Tobit and Angel Healing ♦
Tobit, Tobias’s father, lived in exile and – at least according to the Bible – went blind after burying the children of Israel.
'I came home in the middle of the night, washed myself and lay down to sleep against the wall of the courtyard. Because it was so hot, I left my face uncovered. But I hadn’t noticed that there were sparrows perched on the wall above me. Their still-warm droppings fell into my eyes and formed white films. I visited all sorts of doctors to have this treated, but the more they treated my eyes, the less I could see through those films. Eventually, I went completely blind and remained so for four years’. (Tobit 2:9–10)
♦ Diagnosis
Main symptoms: Blindness, eye surgery, treatment with ointment.
Secondary symptoms: Elderly man, exposed to a corrosive substance (sparrow droppings)
Clinical diagnosis: Damage to the cornea caused by a toxic injury
♦ Definition: cornea
The cornea is the transparent front part of the eyeball. It accounts for approximately one-sixth of the circumference of the eyeball.
♦ Discussion
The story of how Tobit’s blindness was cured by his son Tobias is described as follows in the Bible:
‘Even before Tobias had reached his father, Raphael said: “Your father will certainly be able to see again. Put the bile into his eyes; the membranes will shrink and come away because of the medicine, and then he will be able to see the light again.” Anna rushed towards her son and threw her arms round his neck. “There you are,” she sobbed, “now I can die in peace.”
Tobit had got to his feet and was shuffling out through the gate of the courtyard. Tobias came to meet him with the fish bile and blew into his eyes. ‘Take heart, father,’ he said as he took him by the hand. He applied the medicine and, with both hands, pulled the membranes away from the corners of his eyes. Tobit threw his arms round Tobias’s neck. Weeping, he said, ‘I can see again, my son. You are the light of my eyes.’ (Tobit 11:7–14)
Source: Jan Dequeker