The Medical & Surgical Aspects of Aviation

London: Henry Frowde, Oxford University Press; Hodder & Stoughton, 1919. First Edition. xvi, 255 pp. Illustrated with photographs and figures. Original red cloth, black lettering and rules to front board, gilt lettering to spine. An important foundational work in the history of aviation medicine, published immediately following the First World War. H. Graeme Anderson wrote the book while serving as a surgeon at the Royal Air Force Central Hospital. The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh describes it as “the first textbook on aviation medicine.” Anderson was himself one of the relatively small number of First World War air medical officers who obtained a pilot certificate and conducted research into the physical fitness of airmen, aviation accidents, treatment of flying injuries, and improvements in flying conditions. Includes chapters on “Applied Physiology of Aviation” by Martin Flack, then Director of Medical Research to the Royal Air Force, and the particularly notable “The Aero-Neuroses of War Pilots” by Oliver H. Gotch, addressing the psychological and neurological effects of combat flying. Modern historical scholarship continues to cite these sections in discussions of the development of aviation psychiatry and flight medicine. With an introduction by Lord Weir of Eastwood, Secretary of State for the Royal Air Force. The book appeared at an extraordinarily early moment in the development of aviation medicine. Anderson's introduction was actually dated November 5, 1918, only days before the Armistice, making the work closely tied to medical experience accumulated during World War I aviation. Provenance Deaccessioned medical library copy from the Jackson County Medical Society, Kansas City, Missouri, with institutional ownership stamps, accession markings and call numbers. The medical-society provenance is appropriate to the subject, though it should be treated as institutional provenance rather than as a value-enhancing association. Condition Good. Ex-library. Original red cloth remains sound and attractive overall, with black lettering to the front board still strong. Spine is faded and rubbed, with gilt lettering remaining legible. Noticeable fraying and cloth loss at the head of the spine, lesser wear at the foot and extremities, and light rubbing to boards. White institutional call number written toward lower spine. Front pastedown and free endpaper contain numerous former library markings, stamps, dates, cancellations and a large “BOOK SALE” deaccession stamp. Additional Jackson County Medical Society library stamp and accession label to title page, with further institutional markings elsewhere. Pencil and ink call numbers present. Pages show normal age toning but appear generally clean and well preserved internally. Binding remains serviceable. No dust jacket. A sound original copy of a scarce and historically important work, with cosmetic and institutional wear clearly reflected in the grading. Significance / Collector Appeal This is much more than a generic early book about airplanes. Anderson's Medical and Surgical Aspects of Aviation represents one of the very first attempts to establish aviation medicine as a distinct medical discipline, drawing directly upon the unprecedented medical experience of World War I flying. Anderson (1882–1925) researched the fitness of pilots, aviation accidents and flying conditions while serving with the RAF, while contributors Martin Flack and Oliver Gotch addressed two subjects that would become central to aerospace medicine: flight physiology and aviation neuropsychiatry. The book remains cited in modern histories and bibliographies of aerospace medicine. Shipping / Returns Carefully packed and shipped in a sturdy box with tracking. International shipping available. Additional photographs available upon request. Returns accepted within the AbeBooks 30-day return period. SCI 4a.…