Vanagt Katrien
Universiteit Twente, Center for Studies of Science, Technology and Society.
Gewina. 2006;29(1):26-40.
In this essay it is shown that eyeglasses were not highly recommended in medical treatises of the Early Modern times. They were often not mentioned amongst the therapeutical advices for eye disorders, or, if they were, not without a certain reluctance. It is shown how this can be understood in view of commonly held opinions about the diseased body, and the way vision takes place. Eyeglasses did not fit within the holistic remedies in use. Oculists were ambiguous too, but on different grounds: whereas the conceptual background seemed not such an issue, they considered eyeglasses as a threat towards their profession. The patient himself seemed to be seduced by the effect of eyeglasses, though some doubts about its working would also push him to try other popular remedies. The attitude of physicians gradually changed during the seventeenth century. It is argued that this can be linked to the evolution in ocular anatomy, strongly influenced by optical insights, whereby the eye is no longer considered in relation to the body, but to the world outside. Eyeglasses are thus on the edge of different discourses. It is the dynamic interaction between all of them that makes Early Modern ophthalmology so interesting and complex.
本文表明，在近代早期的医学论著中，眼镜并未得到高度推荐。在针对眼部疾病的治疗建议中，它们常常未被提及，或者即便被提及，也并非毫无保留。本文展示了鉴于当时人们对患病身体的普遍看法以及视觉形成的方式，这种情况是如何被理解的。眼镜并不适用于当时常用的整体疗法。眼科医生的态度也模棱两可，但原因不同：虽然概念背景似乎并非问题所在，但他们认为眼镜对其职业构成了威胁。患者本人似乎被眼镜的效果所吸引，不过对其效果的一些疑虑也会促使他尝试其他流行疗法。在17世纪，医生的态度逐渐发生了变化。有人认为，这与眼部解剖学的发展有关，光学见解对其产生了强烈影响，由此眼睛不再被视为与身体相关，而是与外部世界相关。因此，眼镜处于不同话语的边缘。正是所有这些话语之间的动态互动，使得近代早期的眼科如此有趣和复杂。
