De mulierum organis generationi inservientibus tractatus novus
Lugduni Batav. Ex Officina Hackiana, 1672. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Ownership copy of leading American 19thC obstetrics authority Charles Delucena Meigs MD. First edition, old calf, 8vo, (frontispiece & portrait), (22), 334, (14). 24 plates (2 frontispieces plus 22 tabs) called for, the last being XXII at page 303; Tab I at page 6 is lacking. Tab XI at page 154 is missing about 2/3 of its foldout portion: and, Tab XIII at page 170 is missing half. Reginer de Graaf (1641 -1673)was a Dutch physician, physiologist and anatomist who made key discoveries in reproductive biology. He specialized in iatrochemistry and iatrogenesis. He was the first to develop a syringe to inject dye into human reproductive organs so that he could understand their structure and function. He is also known for the so-called Graafian (or ovarian) follicles, and the description of the female ejaculation (Source: Wikipedia). The verso of the frontipiece plate bears a handwritten curious inscription in Latin: "De Graaf, vel auctor op(eris) de partubus sensationis exquisitissimæ, necnon felicitatis maximæ. Acad(emia) Winen(monogrammed) 51" Roughly translated into English: "De Graaf, surely the author of a work on childbirth of rarest perception, as well as the greatest felicity (success)?" (NOTE: One could read partubus (from partus, as in postpartum) rather than partibus, even though fertilization and conception are not at all the same as delivery. Academia Winensis might be the Wiener Medizinische Schule: its founding in 1745 is linked to Leiden-trained Gerard van Swieten's arrival in Vienna. Or perhaps it refers to the medical faculty of the University of Vienna, which was even older. The mysterious monogram seems to end in A. If it were WA it could stand for Wiener Akademie.) The verso of the fly has a mid-19thC inscription: " To Charles D. Meigs M D from his obliged friend James P. Griffith Jr. January 23, 1838". Charles D. Meigs (1792 - 1869) was an American obstetrician who worked as chair of obstetrics and diseases of women at Jefferson Medical College from 1841 to 1861. He worked as editor of The North American Medical and Surgical Journal and published multiple papers and books on various topics in obstetrics including thrombosis as a cause of sudden death in women during childbirth, diseases of the cervix and postpartum infections. He was a fellow of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia and served as president from 1845 to 1855. (Source: Wikipedia). Although Miegs was the medical authority on obstetrics and gynecology in his day, he eschewed basic sanitary practices (before contagion was established) and the use of anesthesia. Fair. Item #013274
Price: $1,250.00