George Bartisch
Ophthalmodouleia, That is
the Service of the Eye.
REVIEWED BY MARK J. MANNIS
In 1583,
when GEORGE BARTISCH completed Ophthalmodouleia, he
published both the first systematic work
on ocular disease and ophthalmic surgery as well as the first ophthalmic atlas
with the inclusion of 92 full page woodcuts depicting eye disease, surgical
methodology, and instrumentation. Many of us are familiar with several of these
famous woodcuts that are commonly reproduced on book covers, frontispieces, and
posters. Produced by Hans Hewamaul, the woodcuts are
thought to be based on watercolors painted by George Bartisch
himself.
As Volume
Three of the History of Ophthalmology Monograph series, J.‑P. Wayenborgh Press has released a lavish, translated
reproduction of this classic text, complete with beautiful color prints of the
original woodcuts. Translated by Donald L. Blanchard, MD, from the vernacular
German dialect in which it was written, this translation represents a major
achievement of modern historical scholarship. Dr Blanchard's remarkable translation
affords the English speaking ophthalmologist the possibility (for the first
time in 400 years since its original publication) of appreciating this unique
classic that comprehensively depicts the practice of ophthalmology in the 16th
century and that, to some extent, established ophthalmology as a distinct
medical and surgical specialty.
Born to a
poor family, George Bartisch served apprenticeships,
practiced as an itinerant surgeon, and eventually settled in
The book is
organized appropriately beginning with head and eye anatomy and proceeding to
strabismus, cataracts, external disease, and trauma. There is also a chapter on
injuries and defects resulting from magic and witchcraft. The chapters are
generally formulaic, each including a description of the disorder, followed by
a discussion of the disease, a list of largely herbal prescriptions, and
ultimately, surgical approaches. The Wayenborgh
reproduction has preserved the Germanic font in which the original appeared.
Although this adds beauty and authenticity to the appearance of this large
format volume, some modern readers interested in the text per se may find this
aspect of the publication somewhat distracting. The prints are magnificently
reproduced in beautiful tones, and the publisher has even faithfully included
the two woodcuts that appeared originally with overlays demonstrating layered
anatomy of the brain and eye.
Ophthalmodouleia remains a pivotal work of modern ophthalmology. Dr. Blanchard is to be
congratulated on a remarkable and finely executed piece of scholarship. We owe
our thanks also to J.P. Wayenborgh for making
available in the English language this cornerstone work of ophthalmology by the
man who might be considered the father of our specialty. It is, in every sense,
a gem.
American
Journal of Ophthalmology 1997,123:146-147
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Ophthalmodouleia, That is the
Service of the Eyes
by Georg Bartisch, translated by Donald
Blanchard, MD, vol. 3 of a series entitled Hirschberg History of Ophthalmology:
The Monographs, $450, 612 pp, with illustr,
Georg Bartisch (1535‑1606) was apprenticed to a barber
surgeon as a 13‑year‑old boy. He took a particular interest in
diseases of the eye and over the years made himself into a specialist. In his
40s Bartisch put his special knowledge into this
book, apparently doing the illustrations himself, and in 1583, it was printed
for him by Matthes Stöckel
of
Bartisch based his method of eye care on an effort to understand the anatomy,
physiology, and optics of the eye. His anatomical plates are famous for flaps
that can be lifted to reveal the next layer. He distinguished different kinds
of cataracts according to their color (white, blue, gray, green, yellow, and
black). He described cataract couching and its complications, and he recommended
several different kinds of eyelid surgery. He had suggestions for the
management of exophthalmos (
"unnaturally large, wide eyes") and he recommended masks for
the correction of misaligned eyes. Bartisch was
strongly opposed to the itinerant oculists of the day, and he was not fond of
the new fashion of using spectacles, he could not imagine how an eye that was
already seeing poorly could ever see better when something was placed in front
of it. Once Johannes Kepler (1571 to 1630)
showed that the retina was the percipient surface, and the lens and cornea were
the refracting media, the eye was gradually conceded to be an optical
instrument, and the rational use of glasses became appreciated.
Bartisch's book has survived the centuries
because it was often valued as a physical object and carefully protected and
preserved. The book was artfully printed and beautifully illustrated with
about 90 full page woodcuts. An original copy of Bartisch's
book, if you can find one, can be bought today for about the price of a new
car.
Shortly
after 1583, the plates in a few new copies of the book were carefully colored
by hand. One of these is at
Dr
Blanchard is an ophthalmologist in
This is a
beautifully made book. It is exactly the same size as the original. The
typography is in a gothic Old English that echoes the black letter fraktur typeface of the German original. Fraktur was never strong on legibility and its Old English
cousin is not much better. But this is not a book for speed reading, and I find
the gothic typeface attractive. The book is printed on acid free paper, and the
layout of the English text copies the original German text exactly, line for
line‑obviously a labor of love. Bartisch's
words have been made accessible to English readers for the first time, and it
is gratifying that they have been kept in visual harmony with the original
German words.
The color
plates are very nicely done; photographed and computer balanced, they really
dress up the book. Anyone with a shred of interest in how ophthalmology got
started in western Europe would love to own this
volume. You had better get your copy of this sumptuous book as soon as
possible.
H.
Stanley
Archives of Ophthalmology 1997, 115:296
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