Antique Medical Instruments

by C. Keith Wilbur

Family physician and artist Dr. C. Keith Wilber presents a hand-illustrated tour of medical history via the doctors' instruments. This study chronicles the evolution of a wide range of medical instruments from the mid-1700s through current usage. It includes discussions on microscopes, reflex hammers, stethoscopes, blood pressure instruments, electro-cardiographs, ophthalmoscopes, otoscopes, endoscopes, vaginal specula, thermometers, forceps, bullet probes, bloodletting instruments, vaccination lancets, trepanning tools, and others. This is an important resource for all medical personnel, historians, and collectors.

Genres: Antiquities, Science, Reference

152 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1987

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn't read the whole thing, but it's an interesting book laying out all kinds of historical medical tools from the 18th to 20th century. The book is composed mostly of illustrations of these antique medical instruments, accompanied by hand-written descriptions that explain the function of each instrument and their development over time. An added bonus is the list of medical museums in the U.S. provided at the end of the book. As a non-medical person, this book serves as a fun and engaging coffee table book.

[S.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover of this book is admittedly deceiving. If you're going in for an extensive handbook of medical instruments aided by photographs, you will be very disappointed. What this volume does provide, however, is a sizable range of beautifully illustrated renderings of antique medical tools spanning from the 1500s to the mid-1900s. On top of that, the text is entirely hand-written. Dr. Wilbur successfully conveys the history and development of many different instruments--from stethoscopes and otoscopes to amputation saws and leech jars--in a succinct and easy-to-understand manner that's never short of fascinating. The only problems I had were the book's short length (150 pages in a centimeter's thickness) and the occasional poor print quality of some of the illustrations borrowed from other medical books. Otherwise this book is well worth reading; it's as much a pain-staking work of art as it is an informative reference guide.

[Meander · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of good illustrations and historical notes, but mostly 19th century stuff.

[Frederic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful reference, whether one is collecting or just interested in history and/or nomenclature