current issue
issue archives

demographics
request a media kit
view The Yale Classifieds
place a classified ad

The Yale Alumni Magazine is owned and operated by Yale Alumni Publications, Inc., a nonprofit corporation independent of Yale University.

The content of the magazine and its website is the responsibility of the editors and does not necessarily reflect the views of Yale or its officers.

Comment on this article

Medicine in 3-D
January/February 2009
Photograph ©Mark Morosse

Dermatologists were rare in the United States in the early 1900s, and general practitioners had limited dermatological training. Enter Selden Irwin Rainforth, an entrepreneurial GP from upstate New York. In 1910, he developed the Stereoscopic Skin Clinic, 128 dual-image cards that provided doctors with high-quality three-dimensional images of skin diseases. On the back of every card was a description of the ailment and suggestions for treatment.

The cards and stereoscope shown here are from the historical collections of Yale’s Cushing/Whitney Medical Library. The Skin Clinic was quite popular, says curator Susan Wheeler. The complete set retailed for $22; no batteries required.

©1992–2012, Yale Alumni Publications, Inc. All rights reserved.

Yale Alumni Magazine, P.O. Box 1905, New Haven, CT 06509-1905, USA. yam@yale.edu