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Collecting Antiquarian Medical Books
Antiquarian: of antiques or antiquities;
of, or dealing in, old books
(left) Maroon tooled leather cover and gold leaf inscription of
Maternity: A Book For Every Wife & Mother, 1887 (ii)
(right) Sir Spencer Wells, MD from the Journal of Obstetrics, 1893 (iii)
and Antiquarian Books are among the most collectible.
One category of Antiquarian book that I find particularly fascinating is the Antiquarian Medical Book.
Allow me to share some information with you on these interesting and valuable texts!
Defining an Antiquarian Text
"Knowledge is Safety" Illustration, 1871 (iv)
Categories of Antiquarian Medical Books
Medical & Surgical Texts, Physician
Technique of Blood Transfusion, 1885 (v)
"Method of Performing Immediate Transfusion: In immediate transfusion the donor is seated close to the patient, and the veins in the arms of each having been opened, the silver canula at either end of the instrument is introduced into them. The tube between the bulb and the donor is now pinched, so as to form a vacuum, and the bulb becomes filled with blood from the donor. The finger is now removed so as to compress the distal tube, and, the bulb being compressed, its contents are injected into the patient's vein." (v)
These collectible books consist of student level textbooks and practitioner volumes. The outdated techniques and accepted levels of care described are interesting at best and macabre at worst! Those from the mid to late 1800s recount a time when germ theory was in its infancy and infection was rampant. We take antibiotics for granted today, but they are a relatively recent invention. Sulfa drugs first appeared in the 1930s, and the first antibiotic, streptomycin, was not produced until 1944!
The following Links will connect you to the current eBay Auctions for Antiquarian Medical and Surgical Books:
- eBay Physician Medical Texts
- eBay Physician Surgery Texts
- Psychiatry Texts
- Pharmacy & Botanicals Texts
- eBay History of Medicine
Medical & Surgical Books, Nurse
Vintage Postcards of Nursing:
(left) Red Cross Nurse, 1915
(right) "It's A Boy", 1918
"Does a nurse stop to consider that the manner in which she wears the uniform is an index of character? However carefully the school authorities may design a uniform, it can be worn so as to present a careless, untidy appearance. If there are pins where buttons were intended; if the skirt is so bedraggled and frayed at the edges; if the nurse has so little sense of the fitness of things that she is found wearing rings or other unnecessary jewelry with a uniform dress that is designed for work; if her hair is untidy, her cap crooked, or perched in a fly-away fashion on her head, so that it attracts undue attention; if part of the uniform is always missing, may we not conclude that such a nurse is lacking in attention to details and apt to be as careless in her work as in her appearance?" (vi)
Not only do these books describe nursing techniques and procedures, they give a glimpse into the expectations of and social constraints on the female and nurse in the Nineteenth and early Twentieth Century. I think you'll find some interesting additions to your Antiquarian collection within the following eBay Links:
Midwifery and Obstetrical Texts
Birth: Drawing Down of the Feet and Completion of Version (vii)
"Version: There is no operation in which gentleness, abscence of all hurry, and complete presence of mind are so essential. A certain number end fatally from shock or exhaustion or from subsequent complications. As regards the child, the mortality is little, if at all, greater than in original breech and footling positions." (vii, p.461)
"Treatment of Apparent Death, Newborn Infant: No time should be lost in endeavoring to excite respirations. Very often some slight stimulus, such as one or two sharp slaps on the thorax or rapidly rubbing the body with brandy poured into the palms of the hands, will suffice to induce respirations. Failing this, nothing acts so well as the sudden and instantaneous application of heat and cold. For this purpose extremely hot water is placed in one basin, and quite cold water in another. Taking the child by the shoulders and legs, it should be dipped for a single moment into the hot water and then into the cold." (viii, p.557)
In the Nineteenth Century physicians gradually took over the responsibility of overseeing the practice of Midwifery in the hospital setting, terming it Obstetrics. However, female lay midwives continued to provide the majority of childbirth care to rural American women. From 1900 to 1930 many women continued to have their babies at home, delivered by a Physician and subsequently cared for by a Registered Nurse, who stayed on for a period of one to several weeks.
Here are some current eBay Auctions for Antiquarian Midwifery and Obstetrical texts:
Books about Early Hospitals
Postcard, Grady Hospital, New Addition, Atlanta, GA (1917)
Grady Hospital was named after Henry W. Grady,
managing editor of the Atlanta Constitution from 1879 until his death in 1889.
Grady Hospital opened on June 1st, 1892 with 100 beds and 18 employees.
Today the hospital is one of the largest in the Southeast with 953 beds and 5,000 employees.
There are books available that explore the history of Hospitals in general. Others contain specific information about a particular Hospital, Hospitals in a certain state, or Hospitals by specialty. Check out the Link below to see what's currently available right here on eBay:
Learn About Book Collecting Before Bidding!
You'll
first want to become familiar with terms used by Booksellers and learn how to
evaluate the condition of an Antiquarian book. I have found the following eBay
Guides useful:Then, when you're ready to bid, be sure to read the Auction listing carefully and email the Seller if you have any questions. If you are new to eBay Auctions, you would benefit by reviewing eBay's Bidding Overview.
In Conclusion
Antiquarian
Medical Books are not only of interest to medical professionals ... they would
also appeal to anyone fascinated in the social history of our
society and/or the development of Science and Technology. Antiquarian
Medical Books open a window into the past, revealing a time and place that is fascinating to visit.
~~~ A Book ~~~
by Emily Dickenson (1830-1886)
To take us lands away,
Nor any coursers like a page
Of prancing poetry.
This traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of toll;
How frugal is the chariot
That bears a human soul!
... Take advantage of the opportunity eBay provides ...
a wealth of Antiquarian Books is just a computer click away!
tornado-lynn
Endnotes
(i) Webster's New World College Dictionary, Third Edition (p. 61, MacMillan USA, New York, 1996)(ii) Maternity: A Book For Every Wife & Mother by Mrs. P.B. Saur, MD (L.P. Miller & Co., Chicago, 1887)
(iii) The American Journal of Obstetrics, Volume XXXV (p. 403, William Wood & Co., New York, 1897)
(iv) Physical Life of Man And Woman by P. Henry Chavasse, MD (front table, National Publishing Co., Cincinnatti, 1871)
(v) Playfair's System of Midwifery by W.S. Playfair, MD (p.541, Lea Brothers & Co., Philadelphia, 1885)
(vi) Studies in Ethics For Nurses by Charlotte Aikens (p.41, W.B. Saunders Co., Philadelphia, 1919)
(vii) Playfair's System of Midwifery by W.S. Playfair, MD (p.461, Lea Brothers & Co., Philadelphia, 1885)
(viii) Playfair's System of Midwifery by W.S. Playfair, MD (p.557, Lea Brothers & Co., Philadelphia, 1885)
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