Spinal Disease and Spinal Curvature. Their Treatment by Suspension and the Use of the Plaster of Paris Bandage

London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1877. First Edition. Original publisher's cloth.. Very good; some spotting to the front cover with paper(?) flecks adhering in spots.. 8vo, xii, 122, [2 - adverts] + 21 mounted Woodburytype photographs

"Sayre's greatest original contribution to orthopaedic surgery was in the treatment of tuberculosis of the spine (Pott's disease) with a plaster of Paris jacket. . . . It is interesting that his book, Spinal Disease and Spinal Curvature, was written and first published while he was visiting in England in 1877. . . . In 1877 Sayre was a delegate from the American Medical Association to the British Medical Congress, held in Manchester, England. His fame in the treatment of spinal disease had preceded him, and he was asked to lecture and give demonstrations of his methods of treating tuberculosis of the spine and scoliosis in the leading surgical centers in Great Britain and Ireland. . ." (Shands, Early Orthopaedic Surgeons of America, pp. 35, 38-40; fig. 3-9 illustrates the title page). "The patient was literally suspended by an overhead traction apparatus attached to a specially constructed chin and occiput halter. Only his toes touched the ground, and this was permitted just enough to avoid serious discomfort. While under this severe traction, a snugly fitted plaster of Paris jacket was applied. Later lateral traction bands were added to the suspended body according to the nature of the deformity, and the plaster applied around them. These bands were removed before the finishing layer was applied" (Bick, Source Book of Orthopaedics, pp. 434-35). See Garrison-Morton 4344.1; Peltier, Orthopedics, a History and Iconography, pp. 130-36 and 207-211; Rutkow OR34; Truthful Lens #144.