Free Book of the Week:

There are a ton of amazing free books online! Old and otherwise. Every Friday, I plan to post some weekend reading.

This week we have a particularly delectable morsel of archaic medical documentation. I made the dubious decision to research the exact method of use of a pair of bone forceps found in a surgeon's house at Pompeii. This led me to the digital exhibition of surgical instruments from ancient Rome put up by the University of Viriginia. (Available here: http://exhibits.hsl.virginia.edu/romansurgical/) While it has beautiful images of the objects, and good information in the minimal text, it is ultimately too easy to be lost in the horror of it all. Naturally, after retching at the collection of Vaginal Specula, I could hardly scroll past the Rectal Speculum and Bone Levers. Nor could I ignore the overall fearsome shape of the Male Catheter, which I learned elsewhere is probably made from copper of bronze. Silver examples have also been described; as well as attempts using reed and quills (which would have had a more difficult time surviving over long periods, archaeologically.)

Roman medical tools. Try to guess what they were for!
(Image in the Public Domain)

On to the free reading! My investigations brought me to the 1816 publication A Dictionary of Practical Surgery: comprehending all the most interesting improvements from the earliest times down to the present period: an account of the instruments and remedies employed in surgery: the etymology and signification of the principal terms: and, numerous references to ancient and modern works forming a catalogue of surgical literature arranged according to subject. The text is certainly comprehensive, and extremely useful in destroying word count when referenced in a research paper.

If you are the type of sick individual that relishes disgusting detail, horrifying history, or are simply looking to improve your Georgian era medical vocabulary, it can be viewed and even downloaded from the Internet Archive (where I think it is easier to read), or Google books (where it is easier to search for topics like "necrosis" or "uvula amputation" ( location on the "VAG" page).

A second text this week is the more pithy title Medical Inquiries and Observations upon the Diseases of the Mind. Historically, our understanding of mental disorders and faculties has led to inhumane treatments and madly misplaced assumptions. This misunderstanding extends into the modern age. However, this particular book was interesting to me because of its use of "noble savage" tropes in identifying the causes of derangement. Specifically, on page 65, Rush (the author) says,

Certain states of society, and certain opinions, pursuits, amusements, and forms of government have a considerable influence in predisposing to derangement. It is a rare disease among savages. ... Infidelity and atheism are frequent causes of it in christian countries."

I hope these entertain!