“Descripto Anatomica Oculi Humani Iconibus Illustrata” (“Illustrated Anatomical Description of the Human Eye”) by Johann Gottfriend Zinn, 1755.
 
  An illustration from “Ophthalmodeuleia, das ist Augendienst” (“That is the Service of the Eye”) by Georg Bartisch, 1583.
 
SAN FRANCISCO—The American Academy of Ophthalmology’s (AAO) Museum of Vision recently received an extensive donation of more than 130 rare books and catalogs on ophthalmology. A gift from Spencer E. Sherman, MD the museum now has some of the oldest texts on the eye, dating back to the 16th century.

“These texts represent a lasting monument to the great thinkers in ophthalmology’s past,” said Dr. Sherman, who has spent decades building his collection. “I hope they will continue to be an educational resource for Academy members, medical historians, researchers and the public as they seek to understand ophthalmology’s contributions to society.”

The Museum’s latest acquisition includes works by the early pioneers of ocular science: Georg Bartisch, Johann Gottfried Zinn, Georg Joseph von Beer and Hermann von Helmholtz.

 
Jenny Benjamin stands in the gallery featuring selections from the Sherman Collection.  
 
The rare texts are housed in glass cases for public viewing.  
 
The scientific yet artful books cover a wide range of ophthalmic topics, including ocular diseases, eye anatomy and the creation of the ophthalmoscope. These include Ophthalmodouleia: Das ist Augendienst (That is the Service of the Eye) by Georg Bartisch, 1583, an exciting addition to the museum. According to Jenny Benjamin, the Museum of Vision’s director, it is globally recognized as a seminal work in ophthalmic history as well as medical history. Rather than using Latin, the universal academic language, Bartisch used German to convey research on the eye, to better reach his audience.

The Spencer E. Sherman, M.D. Antique Ophthalmology Book Collection will be on a rotating display at the Museum of Vision, sitting amongst the museum’s 38,000-artifact collection, which includes art, furniture, instruments, stamps, pharmaceuticals and vision aids. Researchers and visitors can view the texts up close by making an appointment through the museum ahead of time. An online database features the entire collection at the museum, and texts and illustrations will be cataloged online in the near future.

“The Sherman Collection is a treasure trove of information about diseases and surgical techniques that were used long before the advent of anesthesia, antibiotics or antiviral drugs,” said Benjamin. “Together, the collection is an incredibly rich resource for anyone interested in the history of medicine.”

The AAO’s Museum of Vision is located at 655 Beach Street, San Francisco. For more information, visit the website at www.museumofvision.org, and to arrange an appointment, e-mail museum@aao.org.