Deaths elsewhere

August 3, 2002

David Maurice

Invented cornea microscope

NEW YORK -- David Maurice, a doctor who specialized in eye research, died July 20 of a liver tumor. He was 80.

Dr. Maurice, a professor of ocular physiology at Columbia University, invented a device used to examine the cornea. Called a specular microscope, the device pinpoints individual cells, allowing doctors to determine the cornea's thickness and which cells are healthy.

It is used throughout the world in procedures like cataract removal and laser eye surgery.