L'UNIFORME DES OFFICIERS DU SERVICE DE SANTE 1757-1814

1-239700

The first English translation of L'Uniforme des Officiers du Service de Sante 1757-1814 (aka, The Officers of the Health & Medical Services' Uniforms).

This book is a detailed look at the tumultuous and ever-changing regulations and dress styles of the French doctors, surgeons, and pharmacists between the years of 1757-1814. The author writes about the origins and need for health officers and their place in the army, how the military did not want the doctors and surgeons (who were originally slandered as butchers) to wear outfits too closely to their own, and how the wealthy did not want to demean their looks by wearing an ugly attire - thus, the health officers went through countless changes in such a short time period.

The author has provided detailed colored drawings with in-depth labels, describing what the health officers wore from head to toe. They even go so far as to describe some of the noteworthy doctors and surgeons of the time, such as Baron Larrey, Desgenettes, and Lombard. From black outfits trimmed with red, to the tailcoats in the national blue trimmed in red, to what the design of the buttonholes and what shape the buttons were, the author has given a detailed but succinct record of what the different ranks of medical professions wore, as well as historical information on what caused the changes to occur.