Gr. κόρη girl, doll, pupil of the eye (cf. BABY), has been taken as the basis of modern surgical terms relating to the pupil. The combining form of the Gr. word (as in other words in -η, -α) is κορο-, coro-, before vowels cor-; but core- representing the Gk. nom. case has by some been erroneously taken as the formative, giving the barbarous forms corelysis, coremorphosis, and the illiterate coreometer, coretodialysis, etc. Few of these combinations are English in form: the chief being Corectomy, Corotomy (core-), excision and incision of the pupil, Coroplasty (core-), an operation for forming an artificial pupil; Corectome, an instrument used in cutting through the iris; Coroplastic (core-) a., relating to coroplasty.
1819. Guthrie, Lect. Surg. Eyes (1823), 393. Coretomia, division of the iris. Ibid., Corectomia, when a portion of the iris is cut off. Ibid., 394. Coredialysis, the separation of the iris.
1826. S. Cooper, First Lines Surg. (ed. 5), 348. Mr. Guthrie approves of corectomia, or a free transverse division of the iris with a sharp edged needle, or iris-scalpel. Ibid. (1830), Dict. Surg. (ed. 6), 1007. The separation of a part of its circumference from the ciliary ligament called in the language of oculists corodialysis.
1875. H. Walton, Dis. Eye, 433. Coredialysis, produces a second and false pupil.
1860. Braithwaite, Retrospect of Med., XLII. 250. He [Mr. Streatfeild] now names his operation Corelysis (meaning Pupil freeing …).
1857. Dunglison, Med. Dict., 242. Coroplasty … The operation for artificial pupil.
