Anatomy for the Anesthesiologist: A Stereoscopic Atlas

With the original stereoviewer in rear pocket. Green cloth 8vo, 389pp. Near Fine with minor rubbing to tips. Previous owner's stamp to the top and bottom edges of the textblock, else unmarked. 

An interesting (d)evolution in the lineage of medical stereoscopy, which blossomed at the turn of the century with the Edinburgh Stereoscopic Atlas of Anatomy series--Dornette attempts to harness the benefits of stereoscopy in providing 3D depictions of complex anatomy, but his target images look more like a high school student project. He uses a combination of anatomical models with paper labels, and live humans who've been drawn on with black marker. Reviewers complained of inaccuracies in the content, the crude illustrations, and the failure of the intended stereoscopic effects.

A wonderful and questionable combination of techniques, and anachronistic elements produced in an incongruously glossy product. Well represented in libraries, but scarce in commerce--it was a flop. It came out around the same time as Harold Ellis' Anatomy for Anesthetists, considered a classic in the field. Direct comparisons were not kind to Dornette.

Reviewed together by Dr. John Stetson in JAMA (Vol 189, No 9): "The bindings of the two books, one American, the other British, display similar titles. The sections on the autonomic or sympathetic nervous system begin on page 222 in each book, but beyond these similarities the books are truly an ocean apart. The British book is written by a surgeon and illustrated by a medical artist. The American book is written by an anesthesiologist, and art work and lettering often appear to be amateur productions. The stereoscopic atlas idea is novel and Professor Dornette is to be complimented on his bravery for attempting its use. Unfortunately, some of the photographic reproductions in the book seem to be of poor quality and the viewing glasses too small, or perhaps the reviewer just doesn't 'have the hang of it.'"