Book review




Media type: Book


Synopsis: Anyone familiar with the history of ophthalmic surgery, and that would include most in the profession as well as a few outside, know of John Taylor, an oculist of the 18 th century, probably best-known for having performed the first surgery for crossed eyes. Lack of success with Taylor’s procedure along with unabashed self-aggrandizement about this and other treatments rendered have sentenced Taylor to a position of ridicule. This book presents both sides of Taylor describing him as a knowledgeable practitioner, and also as a flamboyant quack leaving the reader to decide how to remember this man.


Target Audience: Those interested in medical history.


Review: The Chevalier John Taylor has been described in the literature primarily as a quack extraordinaire best-known for being the first to perform surgery for treating strabismus, and then blamed for placing the procedure in such poor repute that it took a full century for it to be tried again. The authors who have exemplary credentials in the field of medical/ophthalmic history have, in this short book, portrayed Taylor not exclusively as a Jack the Ripper, but more as Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The book is very readable, as it provides a new way of looking at a man who is arguably the best-known and at the same time the most-reviled ophthalmologists of all time. The book’s 41 illustrations, including 6 examples from one of the author’s (DMA) collection, add to the flavor and provide a nice backdrop for this tale of an 18 th century adventure in ophthalmic surgery.


This book will be of interest to the young ophthalmologist wishing to learn more about the history of this profession. It will also be good reading for anyone interested in learning how progress in medicine depends on many factors and can take many paths between discovery and accomplishment. The authors set the stage for this book in the introduction when they say: “His character (Taylor) can be described as a unique combination of intelligence, talent, and fraud; and his behavior would certainly interest a psychiatrist.” Taylor is further described by the authors as “no charlatan” and he was described by C.J. S. Thompson (1928) as “no quack ever appeared with fitter and more excellent talents.” The Chevalier Taylor spoke and published glowingly of himself while others such as Samuel Johnson said about Taylor’s life “how far impudence could carry ignorance.” Taylor’s famous patients included King George II, Pope Benedict XIV, the English poet Alexander Pope, and historian Edward Gibbon, but treatment outcomes are not known. Results of Taylor’s treatment are best-known for his failures including the two eminent musicians Bach and Handel both of whom were blind after Taylor’s treatment. Both being of advanced age, at least for that time, was the blame entirely Taylor’s?


One wonders after reading this book about the Chevalier Taylor, would this man who was a trained surgeon, who understood anatomy, and had a good understanding of the eye for his time be less of a “victim” of history if he had even a modicum of humility to go along with his many positive qualities? We will never know the answer to that question, but thanks to the authors we are given new insight into the life and times of the man who may be the most-accomplished quack in the history of ophthalmology.

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Jan 12, 2017 | Posted by in OPHTHALMOLOGY | Comments Off on Book review

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