First use of a clinical photograph in an American medical journal

Hun, E. R.

[Photographically Illustrated Books] "Haematoma Auris" IN The American Journal of Insanity Vol XXVII

Utica, New York: State Lunatic Asylum 1870-1871. First Edition. v, 504 pages. July 1870-June 1871. Brown cloth. Ex-National Institute of Health copy, properly de-accessioned through the Library of Congress with surplus stamp on second flyleaf. Perforated stamp "US NIH LIBRARY" at base of title page, two stamps of the National Institute of Mental Health on the front pastedown. Delicately marbled page edges. Library label on spine (with minor evidence of another at the base). Upper corner of the page block bumped at the tips of pages v-33. Illustrated with a full page photograph opposite page 28. Very Good. Cloth. [25489]


Contains an article by E. R. Hun, M. D. called "Haemoatoma Auris" (or sanguineous tumor of the eternal ear), describing the condition ("for a long time observed as a frequent concomitant of insanity"). Hun reports on various cases and makes clinical observations. Most importantly, there is a full page photograph of an example inserted opposite page 28 on the last page of the article.

Stanley Burns, an eminent medical photography collector, in his "Early Medical Photography in America (1839-1883) [the seventh installment in a series about photography in medicine) notes that this image is "probably the first use of an actual clinical photograph in an American medical journal. Burns notes that his example is signed in the negative "Haines photo library in N. Y." and that both the journal and reprint articles have the photograph.

The image in our example is signed by Haines in the negative as well, and has good tonality.

An early example of medical photography.

Price: $750.00