Eyesight, good and bad : a treatise on the exercise and preservation of vision

Historical Significance: BRUDENELL CARTER (1828-1918) was intermediate between the giant founders of modern ophthalmology, such as Bowman and Critchett, and the later consolidators of ophthalmic science, such as Nettleship and Lang. He began as an apprentice to a general practitioner. He subsequently entered the London Hospital as a student and qualified M.R.C.S. in 1851. He was in general practice until he was 40. He became F.R.C.S. in 1864. While serving in the Crimea, he sent letters from the front to the Times. Fourteen years later, he joined the staff of the Times and wrote leaders for the Times for 50 years. He also wrote for the Lancet for the same long period. He was an accomplished eye surgeon and a prolific the author. He wrote " Practical Treatise on Diseases of the Eye." In 1875 and a dozen or so other books. See also Cat No 498. See RR James. Robert Brudenell Carter. Brit J Ophthal 1941; 25(7), 330-339 for a detailed profile. The picture is a portrait of Carter by 'Stuff' (Henry Wright) painted in 1892 and published in Vanity Fair. It is held in the National Portrait Galley London. Edward Cecil Guinness (1847-1927) was a previous owner of this book. He was the first Earl of Iveagh and became Baron in 1891. He was the sion of the Guiness brewery family and he ran the company in the second half of the 19thC. He was a generous philanthropist supporting housing for the poor and medical and scientific research.