The Medical Brief Monthly. Practical Medicine and Surgery. Vol. XXVI, No. 8. August 1898.

Printed wraps, 8vo, 1121-1280pp. Good to Very Good with staining along the spine and 1" loss to spine head; light creasing and handling wear, contents clean and unmarked. The veracity of its claim on "The Largest Circulation of Any Medical Journal in the World," is dubious, and the content is not exactly to modern peer-reviewed standards, but it is like getting to listen in on conversation at a club. While patent medicines and quacks of all stripes often advertised directly to consumers, The Medical Brief grants access to the conversations happening amongst medical practitioners (legitimate and fraudulent, alike).

A vivid window into the state of medical practice at the end of the nineteenth century, with a bevy of ads that underscore uncertainty about women's health issues. "Medicated uterine wafers" are offered to treat "endometritis" and other "affections of the female genital tract," citing that surgical intervention is usually premature and dangerous, if not fatal--a very real danger presented with the spin: "Why cut? A fad!"

Prosthetics and assistive devices are advertised, plus copious remedies for gastrointestinal ailments, rheumatism, and the usual suspects. Among the editorials: "Self-Hypnotism Again,""Anger a disease," and a range of practitioners writing in with case studies and quandaries, and the bouts of thinly concealed professional pettiness well represented in the printed letters.