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This is the second printing of a catalog for this fabulous collection. Since 1979, at which time more than 600 books were cataloged, Dr Becker acquired another 160 new entries. These now include 90 titles that appeared between 1851 and 1900.
The indexing is somewhat different. The books are listed according to the main topic and then arranged chronologically. I was recently interested in the history of cataract extraction as it was imagined, considered and executed before and after Daviel, and looking up these books in Becker's catalog I find that all pertinent publications can indeed be found in this collection.
It is hard to imagine a similar array of old ophthalmic books existing in this country. Becker's collection, together with the rare book holdings of the Washington University School of Medicine Library, indeed constitute a national asset.