An Anatomical Work of Uncommon Beauty Bourgery, Marc Jean (1797-1849). Traité complet de l’anatomie de l’homme, comprenant la médecine opératoire. 8 vols. Paris, 1831-1854. Paule Dumaitre in his Histoire de la médecine et du livre medical (Paris, 1978) commented that Bourgery’s work is considered today without question the most beautiful French work of anatomy publishedContinue reading “Notes from the John Martin Rare Book Room”

Heirs of Hippocrates Now Online We are pleased to announce that the book catalog, “Heirs of Hippocrates” last published in 1990 (3rd edition), is now available as an online database and offered to the public on the internet at no charge. “Heirs” is an annotated bibliography of the historic books in the John Martin RareContinue reading “Notes from the John Martin Rare Book Room”

Extreme Makeovers From The Sixteenth Century Tagliacozzi, Gaspare (1545-1599). De curtorum chirurgia per insitionem, libri due. Venice, 1597. Although Tagliacozzi was not the first plastic surgeon (it had been practiced in India centuries earlier) he is usually credited as the first modern practitioner of the art. Loss of facial parts from dueling, street fights, andContinue reading “Notes from the John Martin Rare Book Room”

Judging By Appearances Porta, Giovanni Battista Della (1535?-1615). De humana physiognomonia libri III. , Naples, 1586. The practice of attempting to discern personality traits from physical appearance goes back to antiquity. In fact, it was Aristotle who coined the term, “physiognomy” to support his own writings and inclinations on the subject. Since that time andContinue reading “Notes from the John Martin Rare Book Room”

A Withering Glance at Foxglove Withering, William (1741-1799). An Account of the foxglove, and some of its medical uses, Birmingham, 1785. William Withering was a keen observer of plants and their medicinal uses and had already published a widely respected and comprehensive treatise on “Botanical Arrangement of all the vegetables” when this, his most famousContinue reading “Notes from the John Martin Rare Book Room”

The Gravid Uterus William Hunter (1718-1783). Anatomia uteri humani gravidi tabulis illustrate. . . the anatomy of the human gravid uterus exhibited in figures. John Baskerville, Birmingham, 1774. William Hunter, born in Scotland, was a London physician and obstetrician whose principal interest was in anatomy. Upon becoming professor of anatomy of the Society of NavyContinue reading “Notes from the John Martin Rare Book Room”

Changing Medicine in a Heartbeat Réné Laënnec (1781-1826). Traité de l’Auscultation Médiate , Paris, 1819. The stethoscope is so familiar an object, it is somewhat surprising that it did not arrive on the scene until 1816. In fact, if it had not been for a fear of breaching 19th century etiquette, we might have hadContinue reading “Notes from the John Martin Rare Book Room”

The Foundation of Immunology Edward Jenner (1749-1823). An inquiry into the causes and effects of the variolae vaccinae, a disease…known by the name of the cow pox. London, Printed for the author by S. Low, 1798. On the basis of an old country tradition that milkmaids who had contracted cowpox (a relatively mild disease) wereContinue reading “Notes from the John Martin Rare Book Room”

“The Most Ingenious Book that I Ever Read in My Life” – Samuel Pepys Robert Hooke (1635-1703). Micrographia: or, Some physiological descriptions of minute bodies made by magnifying glasses. London: J. Martyn and J. Allestry, 1665. In 1665, Robert Hooke completed one of the most remarkable books of the last four centuries: a collection ofContinue reading “Notes from the John Martin Rare Book Room”

An “Arsenal of Surgery” Johannes Scultetus (1595-1645). Armamentarium chirurgicum. Ulm: Typis& impenis Balthasari Kühnen, 1655. When Johannes Scultetus’s Armamentarium Chirurgicum (“Arsenal of Surgery”) was published, it was hailed as the first treatise on surgery to reflect the newfound rationalism of the 17th Century. While older authors had provided illustrated works on simple operations and devicesContinue reading “Notes from the John Martin Rare Book Room”