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Enhancing Vision in Nineteenth-Century Britain / Gemma Almond

DOI (Published version): 10.23889/Suthesis.50630

Abstract

The measurement of vision and the use of vision aids changed dramatically across the nineteenth century. This thesis explores the retail, manufacture, design, and use of vision aids in this context. The overall argument is threefold. Firstly, that the advancement and professionalisation of medical k...

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Published: 2019
Institution: Swansea University
Degree level: Doctoral
Degree name: Ph.D
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa50630
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first_indexed 2019-06-05T11:08:02Z
last_indexed 2019-10-21T16:56:25Z
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spelling 2019-06-06T16:40:12.3350612 v2 50630 2019-06-04 Enhancing Vision in Nineteenth-Century Britain 2019-06-04 The measurement of vision and the use of vision aids changed dramatically across the nineteenth century. This thesis explores the retail, manufacture, design, and use of vision aids in this context. The overall argument is threefold. Firstly, that the advancement and professionalisation of medical knowledge of the eye led to the reconceptualization of how vision aids were used, tested and sold. Secondly, that changes in the manufacture and sale of vision aids led to greater numbers being produced, and these were better suited for more long-term wear. Thirdly, it argues that these two changes affected users of vision aids by improving their utility, as well as their accessibility. This is the first major study of nineteenth-century vision aids and how they were used, dispensed and sold. However, it also contributes to our understanding of the Victorian period. New demands were placed on vision and vision aids intersect a range of important areas of Victorian history, including urbanisation, industrialisation, rise of print and education. Additionally, it highlights how an assistive technology can be used to challenge conventional thinking about medicalisation, medical definitions, medical authority and measurement in the nineteenth century. Furthermore, because vision aids could be both fashionable and stigmatised, it provides new perspectives on the process of normalisation and our understanding of impairment in relation to commonality. It highlights scope for the study of minor impairments by showing how the experience of blindness, partial sight, and disability as a whole, cannot be seen as transhistorical. The Science Museum’s Ophthalmology and Dunscombe collections have shaped this research. It reveals how objects can be used effectively alongside textual and visual evidence for the history of vision aids, as well as the history of medicine, retail, design, disability history, and the cultural perceptions that surround vision and its impairment. E-Thesis Vision aids, assistive technology, medicalisation, normalisation, blindness 31 12 2019 2019-12-31 10.23889/Suthesis.50630 A selection of third party content is redacted or is partially redacted from this thesis. COLLEGE NANME COLLEGE CODE Swansea University Doctoral Ph.D Arts and Humanities Research Council, Collaborative Doctoral Partnership 2019-06-06T16:40:12.3350612 2019-06-04T09:51:52.9545060 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences School of Culture and Communication - History Gemma Almond 1 0050630-04062019103935.pdf Almond_Gemma_PhD_Thesis_Final_Redacted.pdf 2019-06-04T10:39:35.7300000 Output 11903476 application/pdf Redacted version - open access true 2020-06-30T00:00:00.0000000 true
title Enhancing Vision in Nineteenth-Century Britain
spellingShingle Enhancing Vision in Nineteenth-Century Britain
,
title_short Enhancing Vision in Nineteenth-Century Britain
title_full Enhancing Vision in Nineteenth-Century Britain
title_fullStr Enhancing Vision in Nineteenth-Century Britain
title_full_unstemmed Enhancing Vision in Nineteenth-Century Britain
title_sort Enhancing Vision in Nineteenth-Century Britain
author ,
author2 Gemma Almond
format E-Thesis
publishDate 2019
institution Swansea University
doi_str_mv 10.23889/Suthesis.50630
college_str Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
department_str School of Culture and Communication - History{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Culture and Communication - History
document_store_str 1
active_str 0
description The measurement of vision and the use of vision aids changed dramatically across the nineteenth century. This thesis explores the retail, manufacture, design, and use of vision aids in this context. The overall argument is threefold. Firstly, that the advancement and professionalisation of medical knowledge of the eye led to the reconceptualization of how vision aids were used, tested and sold. Secondly, that changes in the manufacture and sale of vision aids led to greater numbers being produced, and these were better suited for more long-term wear. Thirdly, it argues that these two changes affected users of vision aids by improving their utility, as well as their accessibility. This is the first major study of nineteenth-century vision aids and how they were used, dispensed and sold. However, it also contributes to our understanding of the Victorian period. New demands were placed on vision and vision aids intersect a range of important areas of Victorian history, including urbanisation, industrialisation, rise of print and education. Additionally, it highlights how an assistive technology can be used to challenge conventional thinking about medicalisation, medical definitions, medical authority and measurement in the nineteenth century. Furthermore, because vision aids could be both fashionable and stigmatised, it provides new perspectives on the process of normalisation and our understanding of impairment in relation to commonality. It highlights scope for the study of minor impairments by showing how the experience of blindness, partial sight, and disability as a whole, cannot be seen as transhistorical. The Science Museum’s Ophthalmology and Dunscombe collections have shaped this research. It reveals how objects can be used effectively alongside textual and visual evidence for the history of vision aids, as well as the history of medicine, retail, design, disability history, and the cultural perceptions that surround vision and its impairment.
published_date 2019-12-31T04:02:10Z
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score 11.01297

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