Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.

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!

Stanley Burns is a physician and a collector of medical history photographs. You may remember his previous book of mortuary photographs entitled "Sleeping Beauty" which is long out of print and fetches incredible sums among used book dealers. (Fortunately, a sequel - "Sleeping Beauty II" is more readily available.) "A Morning's Work" is a collection of 127 vintage medical photographs from 1843 to 1939 along with a helpful narrative explanation of the photographs and their cultural significance. Although some of the pictures are more historically significant than interesting, the bulk of the images are of medical curiosities - and some of them are absolutely head-scratchingly bizarre. Among the images featured are mortuary photographs, images of amputations, surgical procedures, disfigurement, and a wide assortment of congenital and acquired diseases. The title "A Morning's Work" is taken from an image of a pile of amputated limbs taken during the Civil War, when the horrific wounds inflicted by the large leadshots used at the time resulted in amputations for even the most minor of injuries. Many of the photographs take us back to the Dark Days of medicine, before antiseptic procedures were implemented, and when a small wound could result in a deadly infection in a matter of days.

The narrative explanations of the photographs add a special poignance to them. For example, a photograph of a dead man would not be nearly so interesting were it not for Burns' explanation that the man was Dr. James Howe who contracted Cholera while treating patients during the St. Louis epidemic of 1849 and was fatally afflicted. That one sombre portrait seems to symbolize the bravery and sacrifice of physicians the world over during times of pestilence, and if there's anything that you come away with after viewing this book, it's a newfound appreciation for modern medicine. All told, "A Morning's Work" is a fascinating book - and a must for enthusiasts of the bizarre and medical historians alike.

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.

Stanley B. Burns, A Morning's Work: Medical Photographs from the Burns Archive and Collection (Twin Palms, 1998)

"A Morning's Work" is the title of a photograph, included here, from Civil War times. It was taken by a surgeon and depicts a pile of amputated feet. While Burns talks about other interpretations one can have of the photograph's title, the simple surface of the thing is enough to give you an insight into what you're going to find here. (Burns also mentions in that introduction that Joel-Peter Witkin has made use of the Burns Collection on occasion. And if you don't know who Joel-Peter Witkin is, you're probably not reading this review.) The hundred-odd photographs that Burns has selected for this volume are often grotesque and always fascinating. Like all of the (few) Twin Palms books I've encountered, it is wonderfully put-together; this is a book that will last you a lifetime, as long as you don't run over it with an SUV or something. What there is to be read into the permanence of grotesquerie, I shall leave to the individual. That said, I would go no more than five pages at a time without finding another photograph that said "you need to use me for an album cover." (And what that says about the reviewer I'm sure is much less a puzzle. I have long been a fan of Joel-Peter Witkin's.)

Reviewing a book like this seems an exercise in futility; you're either going to be struck by it, or you're not. And if you're struck by it, there's a strong chance you're going to pick it up no matter what I have to say about it. But let the record show that I found myself unable to look away, I found the notes illuminating, and I continue to respect the way Twin Palms puts a book together; very few companies these days pay as much attention to the actual, physical construction of a book as they do. Whether you pick up a copy or not will depend on how you feel about the subject matter, but keep my recommendation in the back of your head if you're on the fence. For I do recommend this book if you're at all interested in the history of medicine, the history of photography, or a combination of the two. *** ½

definitely worth the price tag. Book is packed with period medical photographs, which while grotesque are also very artistically framed. All of the pictures are together, a page per picture so you can flip though the images without text interrupting the artistic presentation. The back of the book is devoted to thorough captions for each photo. Some of the photos look staged but this too fits the period represented.

This is an excellent compilation of medical photographs for the strong of heart and medical professionals. It is very graphic and helpful.

Don't sweat - it's great!

Get your copy today before they are all gone.

The book I ordered was as advertised and arrived in perfect condition. I have made four book purchases through Amazon and have been pleased each time.

This book is very harsh, unpleasant, but impressive. Not at all for anybody because you need to have 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 aesthetics, based upon the ugly and the deformity.