A Morning's Work: Medical Photographs from the Burns Archive & Collection, 1843-1939

Rating:
Summary: Stunning look at the human body
Review: This book is very harsh, unpleasant, impressive. Not at all for anybody because you need tohave the guts to keep your glance at the pictures mirroring the abnormal, the illnesses, the horror of nature, the facts of the old times of surgery. As Bacon's paintings these pictures have a very sui-generis esthetics, based upon the ugly and the deformity.

Rating:
Summary: An uncommon window into the medically abnormal
Review: This book of stunning, yet disturbing, photographs of medical anomalies spanning 100 years from the mid-19th c., may not be for everyone. It is a comprehensive visual essay into things that we find fascinating, yet repulsive. Unlike a carnival sideshow, however, the purpose of this wonderful book is not to cynically trivialize the individuals illustrated. Like the Mütter Museum, (Mütter Museum: Philadelphia College of Physicians, 19 South 22nd Street, between Chestnut and Market Hours: Mon-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun 12-4pm), Stanley Burns' book is a window into the 19th century propensity to gather esoteric information of all types, organize it and, ultimately, to exhibit it as the means to greater knowledge.

Rating:
Summary: An uncommon window into the medically abnormal
Review: This book of stunning, yet disturbing, photographs of medical anomalies spanning 100 years from the mid-19th c., may not be for everyone. It is a comprehensive visual essay into things that we find fascinating, yet repulsive. Unlike a carnival sideshow, however, the purpose of this wonderful book is not to cynically trivialize the individuals illustrated. Like the Mütter Museum, (Mütter Museum: Philadelphia College of Physicians, 19 South 22nd Street, between Chestnut and Market Hours: Mon-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun 12-4pm), Stanley Burns' book is a window into the 19th century propensity to gather esoteric information of all types, organize it and, ultimately, to exhibit it as the means to greater knowledge.

Rating:
Summary: My god these people are beautiful
Review: This collection of photographs and plates are some of the most concise findings on the medical world I have ever seen. It has opened my eyes to these people and has given me something new and interesting to learn about. I really enjoy seeing how far we have come in the field of medicine but also the advancement has diminished the frequency of medical oddities that are found in this book. I really recomend this to anyone who has an interest in the medical field and all of its mishaps.

Rating:
Summary: My god these people are beautiful
Review: This collection of photographs and plates are some of the most concise findings on the medical world I have ever seen. It has opened my eyes to these people and has given me something new and interesting to learn about. I really enjoy seeing how far we have come in the field of medicine but also the advancement has diminished the frequency of medical oddities that are found in this book. I really recomend this to anyone who has an interest in the medical field and all of its mishaps.

Rating:
Summary: A compendium of extraoridinary photographs!
Review: This is by far one of the best books out there depicting photographs of human anomalies, surgical procedures and things of the like during the early 20th century. If each picture is worth a thousand words, then this book could be an encyclopedia. A must buy for every person interested in human abnormalities. Not for the easily squeemish!

Rating:
Summary: wonderful book, fantastic images
Review: This is simply a wonderful book. Filled with old photographs depicting human oddities and early medical procedures, it presents a unique glimpse into a time not too long past. The photo from which the title is taken is a work of art unto itself, as are most of the images in this tome. I never tire of paging through this collection, seeming to find something new every time. While some images may be disturbing, the uniqueness of each and every photo makes this book a must have for devotees of human oddities, as well as aficionados of early photography.