Catalogue Number: 33 On near sight, aged sight, impaired vision and the means of assisting sight Category: Book Sub-Category: Significant book (Aitken collection) Author: COOPER, William Year Of Publication/Manufacture: 1853 Edition: Second Edition Time Period: 19th C Place Of Publication/Manufacture: London Publisher/Manufacturer: John Churchill Description Of Item: The book is hard cover 173 x 110 mm with 320 pages including an index. It has chapters on myopia; presbyopia (but not hypermetropia); impaired vision from over work, artificial light and foul atmosphere; colour blindness; glasses and one on eye protectors. His writing is well illustrated with descriptions of actual cases. There are two appendices: one describes John Milton's (British poet 1608 - 1674) loss of sight from too much reading from childhood and the other describes snow blindness and includes written personal accounts of snow blindness of arctic explorers. This is the second edition: the first edition was published in 1847. Historical Significance: William Cooper was an ophthamologist and surgeon at two London hospitals. How Acquired: Donated by Michael Aitken, honorary archivist Date Acquired: 1989 Location: Nathan Library. Aitken collection |