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Spectacles and the Victorians

Spectacles and the Victorians Measuring, Defining and Shaping Visual Capacity - Social Histories of Medicine

Hardback (05 Sep 2023)

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Publisher's Synopsis

This is the first full-length study of spectacles in the Victorian period. It examines how the Victorians shaped our understanding of functional visual capacity and the concept of 20:20 vision. Demonstrating how this unique assistive device can connect the histories of medicine, technology and disability, it charts how technology has influenced our understanding of sensory perception, both through the diagnostic methods used to measure visual impairment and the utility of spectacles to ameliorate its effects. Taking a material culture approach, the book assesses how the design of spectacles thwarted ophthalmologists' attempts to medicalise their distribution and use, as well as creating a mainstream marketable device on the high street.

About the Publisher

Manchester University Press

Founded in 1904, MUP is the third largest University Press in England and publishes monographs and textbooks by authors from all over the world. Currently publishing 145 new books a year and managing a portfolio of 14 journals as well as an extensive backlist of over 1000 titles, the Press sells more than 150,000 books each year to a global audience. The Press exports some 50 percent of output to more than 60 countries using representatives in Britain, Ireland and Europe and agents elsewhere including North America, Canada and Australia.

Book information

ISBN: 9781526161352
Publisher: Manchester University Press
Imprint: Manchester University Press
Pub date:
DEWEY: 617.752094109034
DEWEY edition: 23
Language: English
Number of pages: 296
Weight: 500g
Height: 147mm
Width: 223mm
Spine width: 24mm