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[4], 20 pp.Botanical, chemical and pharmaceutical description of the Lamium Plinii, a dead-nettle from the family Lamiaceae. Dissertation by Samuel Fridericus Koenig. In very good condition, with traces of paper wrappers.l Pritzel 4802.

[12], 408, [1], [3 blank] pp.First and only Portuguese edition of parts II and III of Erasmus Darwin's Zoonomia, or the laws of organic life (London, 1794-96). In Zoonomia, Darwin covered nearly all aspects of animal biology and proposed revolutionary ideas that in many ways anticipated the evolutionary theory of his grandson Charles Darwin. Baeta, who annotated this edition, was a proselytizer for Erasmus Darwin's theories. He had to flee Portugal for fear of persecution due to his sympathies with the French Revolution. He studied medicine at Edinburgh and returned to Lisbon, where he entered politics. His works were printed in England and Lisbon. Manuscript ownership entry in ink on title "Jorge Gaspar de Oliveira Rollão". In very good condition. The binding is rubbed and the spine damaged, primarily near the foot. The only Portuguese translation of one of Erasmus Darwin's main works.l Innocêncio III, 190; Lisbon, Faculdade de Medicina, Catálogo da coleção portuguesa I, 39; Ferreira de Mira,… Read More

[16], 448; [2], 449-908, [17], [1 blank] pp.First edition of a materia medica of the vegetable kingdom by the Swedish physician and botanist Peter Jonas Bergius (1730-1790). It opens with an introduction, followed by the description of 571 herbs and other plants, arranged according to their classification. The entries contains the plants’ names, habitats, appearance and properties, and note which ailments and diseases they can ameliorate and how to process them for simple and compound medicines.Internally in very good condition. Bindings very slightly rubbed, binding of volume 1 stained on the front board and spine, otherwise in good condition.l Blake, p. 43; Krok, Bibliotheca botanica Suecana, p. 76; Wellcome II, p. 148.

[8], 648, [12]; [2], 400, [6]; [2], 458, [2]; [2], 326, [6]; [2], 382, [10] pp; [4], 408, [2], 409-696, [30] pp.Ad 1: Although Boerhave considered Institutiones medicae (1708) his greatest work and it made him famous, his Aphorismi de cognoscendis et curandis morbis (Aphorisms on the recognition and treatment of diseases) published a year later in 1709, met an even greater demand. It is a collection of short pronouncements concerning the diagnosis of and therapy for various diseases, and numerous editions and translations spread the fame of its author all over Europe (Lindeboom 143-197). In 1718 an extensive commentary on the Aphorismi appeared in Padua (Lindeboom 198). Ad 2: Third edition, with corrections and an expanded index, of Boerhaave's description of the plants in Leiden University's botanical garden. It gives an account of the various species, including the origins of the plants, their names, characteristics and possible medicinal properties. It covers trees, herbs, flowers, mushrooms and… Read More

[18], 252; [8], 127, [1], 328, 48; [8], “278”[=276], [12] pp.Penultimate edition of the most influential medical work in the Low Countries during the 17th-century, the collected works of Johannes Van Beverwijck (1594-1647). It was very popular, partly through the inserted poems by Jacob Cats and its illustrations. The three main parts contain a general survey of the several elements of medicine, varying from medical folklore and herbal knowledge to anatomy and chirurgy. At the end of the third part "Heel-konste" letters from and to Van Beverwijck as well as some other important letters are issued. Among these are letters of Descartes on the motion of the hart, written ca. 1637-1643, to and from Anna Maria van Schurman (ca. 1640), and William Harvey. Van Beverwijck was a very well-read man and all his writings include many references to ancient and contemporary authors on the subject. With owners' inscriptions on flyleaf and some modern underscoring and annotations in pencil. Front board and spine… Read More

[6], XXXIX, [11], 854, [2] pp.New quarto edition of the complete works of the famous Italian physician, Giorgio Baglivi (1668-1707). Contains in particular his dissertation illustrated with a plate on "The anatomy, the bite and the effects of the tarantula", published in 1696. Baglivi studied the anatomy of the tarantula, its habitat, the nature of its poison and the effects it had on humans and other animals. He took the analysis of these elements as an opportunity to describe the region where most cases of tarantula bites were recorded, Puglia, and the benefits of the - apparently - most effective therapy to cure these bites: music.Giorgio Baglivi, born in Ragusa and died in Rome, was the doctor of Popes Innocent XII and Clement XI. The latter appointed him a position as the professor of surgery and anatomy at the College of Sapience in Rome. He formulated a doctrine which rehabilitated the role of the solid parts of the human body (of their contractile properties and of the vital forces which… Read More

[9] ll.Extremely rare first issue of this Italian publication on edible and poisonous fungi, with hand-coloured lithographed illustrations (not chromolithographs as stated in the title) and the author's hand-written presentation inscription on the wrappers. The title used on the title-page differs slightly from that on the title-wrappers, omitting "cromo-litografíco", and contains a dedication to Don Giacomo Beretta. It was reissued in 1846, with new title-wrappers.Folded, some foxing some and occasional stains, wrappers slightly soiled and tattered. Nonetheless still a good copy of this rare mycological work.l ICCU 0449661 (1 copy); cf. BMC NH, p. 2121; Volbracht 2111"sehr selten" (1846 issue); not in Kelly; Nissen, BBI; Stafleu & Cowan.

IX, [1], 130, [4], [2 blank] pp.Rare first edition of the account of Siebold's second and final journey to, and stay in, Japan, from 1859 till 1861, written by his eldest son, Alexander von Siebold (1846-1911), who accompanied his father Philip Franz von Siebold (1796-1866) on the trip and gives a lively account of their experiences. They travelled first to Batavia and then to Japan, where they stayed in Von Siebold's home Narutaki near Nagasaki. Von Siebold practised medicine there as he had in the 1820s, and many of his old patients and students came to visit him. Von Siebold also continued to search for material for his botanical collection. Alexander's account informs the reader about religious customs and literature, his own experiences in learning to speak Malayan and Japanese, and mastering the difficult art of writing Japanese using the Chinese "kan" (kanji) characters, also discussing the Japanese hiragana and katakana syllabary systems. Besides the four pages of advertisements (by Kisak… Read More

[6], 141, [11]; [10], 19-87, [1], 292, [4] pp.Two first editions, beautifully illustrated and complete with all their plates, of anatomical works by the Dutch physician and anatomist Gerardus Blasius (1625-1692), here bound together. The first work, Observata anatomica in homine, discusses human anatomy, the second (Zootomiae seu anatomes variorum animalium) discusses both human and zoological anatomy (including dogs). The illustrations of this second work includes more detailed depictions of the eye, chest, blood vessels, genitals etc. The engraved title-page, dated 1677, was added later and shows the disection of a human body in an anatomic theatre. Blasius was one of the first Dutch professors of anatomy and one of the founders of comparative anatomy. His anatomical writings were very influential and the present two works are beautiful examples of the his ideas as one of the most important anatomists of the 17th century.With the owner's inscription of François Antoine Martel on the verso of the… Read More

[26], 732, [72] pp.Second edition of a pre-Linnean zoological work, describing in 4 parts the names, appearance, characteristics, qualities and habitats of quadrupeds, birds, fishes and invertebrates, together with their medicinal qualities and uses, by the German physician Georg Abraham Mercklein (1644-1702). He frequently cites (classical) authorities in the fields of medicine and natural history, like Galenus and Aristotle. Also included are some mythological animals, including several kinds of unicorn (p. 28) and a dragon (p. 611). Ten pages are devoted to the characteristics of the silkworm (pp. 678-687). At the end an index of the animals, illnesses and cures.With an early owner's inscription on first flyleaf. Slightly browned, some marginal thumbing or minor stains, but still in very good condition. Binding slightly soiled, but in good condition.l Nissen, ZBI 2790; VD18 12232300; cf. Krivatsy 1772.

[1 blank], [1], 221, [11]; [1], [1 blank], 148, [3], [1 blank] pp.Ad 1: Second edition, in the original Latin, of a famous and foundational study of the physiology and structure of muscles and the formation of fossils, by the world-renowned Nicolas Steno or Niels Stensen (1638-1686). Stensen was a pupil of the important Danish physician Bartolin in Copenhagen and is widely considered as the founder of modern geology and young-earth creationism. He has been recognized as having made some of the first truly great discoveries in geology. Living in Florence in the service of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, he first published his findings in his Elementorum myologiae specimen in Florence in 1667, showing how the teeth of a shark came to be mineralized. This was an enormous contribution to the study of fossils. Using the Bible framework Stensen developed one of the earliest directional geological accounts on the history of earth and life.Ad 2: First edition of an important treatise on the anatomy of the uterus… Read More

[22], “699” [= 697], [23]; [38], 944, [48] pp. plus 2 folding letterpress title-pages and the 3 engravings.First edition, rarely found complete, of a detailed account of animals that are harmful to people and to their livestock, the treatment of bites, illnesses and poisonings they cause and instructions for their extermination. It covers animals on land, in water, in the air and underground. The large folding plate in vol. II shows 38 insects, including 14 caterpillars, and the two engraved title-pages for volumes I and II show well over 50 (vol. I) about 25 (vol. II) animals, not counting a large group of ants and many birds in the distance in the former. The book also provides information about uses of the (dead) harmful animals for making clothes and medicines, and includes many medicinal recipes. The animals discussed include wolves, foxes, mad dogs, birds (including birds of prey), snakes, frogs, toads, rats, mice, moles, beetles, caterpillars, bed bugs, lice, fleas and other insects, spiders,… Read More

15, [1 blank] pp. plus plates.Very rare publication with 10 very detailed plates depicting the anatomy of the horse. In his preface the author-artist Joseph Machold (1824-1889), painter, illustrator and a former officer in the Austrian army, explains that this publication was made by order of the Austrian army to educate the soldiers in the anatomy of the horse and that the Ministry of War gave him the opportunity to conduct the studies he needed to produce it in the royal veterinary institute in Vienna. His paintings were lithographed by Varrone and the plates printed by F. Köke in Vienna. Holzhausen, the printer of the letterpress text, was printer at the printing office of the Imperial University.With an ink stamp twice on the front wrapper. In very good condition, with marginal restorations to the title-page, some text-leaves frayed and marginally soiled; the plates with some spotting. Front wrapper soiled and with tears repaired. Rare anatomical plates of the horse, published to educate soldiers… Read More

[22], 82 pp.First edition of a very rare medical treatise by Ehrenfried Hagendorn (1640-1692), a Polish doctor and the personal physician of the Elector of Saxony. In the present Tractatus he introduced a new medical application for the popular exotic "terra Japonica" or catechu. Catechu (cachou, cutch etc.) is a substance widely used for all kinds of purposes throughout Asia today and in history. It is extracted mainly, but not exclusively, from the bark of acacia trees. Typically it comes as a reddish powder that dissolves in water. It has been used in Europe for centuries, most commonly as a dye or as an astringent. In Dutch "cachouën" (to cachou) means to boil something in catechu (cachou) in order to make it last longer. This was introduced by the VOC and especially used in the maintenance of ships, which eventually lead to the Dutch fleet turning reddish brown because of the dye in catechu. We traced the first European mention of catechu in a Wittenberg pharmacist's pricelist from 1632:… Read More

16 ll.Rare early edition (one of perhaps four or five early editions with the main text set in a roman type) of two works written ca. 1300 by an unidentified follower of Albertus Magnus concerning the extraordinary properties (magical, astrological, medicinal, etc.) of 16 plants, 45 minerals or gems and 18 animals (including many birds), and concerning the "wonders of the world". The first includes means to become invisible, feel no pain, arouse love, interpret dreams and make prophesies. The second includes mental manipulation of matter, cures for diseases, magic made with fire or light, means of breaking charms, and seeing the future in dreams. The woodcut is remarkable for its depiction of both numerous books with bosses, clasps, etc., and numerous accoutrements, such as a wedge-shaped book stand, a copy stand in the form of a four-sided pyramid on a pedestal, pens, ink wells and penknives. Senna used it again in 1504 on the title-page of John Pecham's Perspectiva communis. Though this edition,… Read More

252, [12]; 125, [1] ll.Ad 1: First edition of an ancient compendium of pharmacological preparations by the Gallo-Roman physician Marcellus Empiricus, originally composed ca. 410 AD. "An extraordinary mixture of traditional knowledge, popular (Celtic) medicine, and rank superstition. Interesting also for the historian of botany, because of the great number of plants mentioned" (Sarton). Marcellus was born in Bordeaux and magister officiorum under Theodosius I (379-395).Ad 2: First edition of a collection of four medical works, compiled by the Swiss physician Albanus Torinus (1489-1550). The main part of the work consists of De re medica, also known as Medicina Pliniana, a very popular medical text during the Middle Ages. Compiled in the fourth century by an anonymous author, it is generally ascribed to Plinius Valerianus, also called pseudo-Plinius, since it mainly derived from Pliny the Elder's Historia naturalis. The work also contains three other medical works from different authors. "The contents… Read More

[12], 86, [1 blank], [1]; [104]; [4], 108; 55, [1] ll.Four editions printed and published in Freiburg and nearby Strasbourg from 1528 to 1531, containing six works of medical and pharmacological interest, all in the original Latin: the first edition of two Byzantine pharmacological works; the first edition of a Renaissance pharmacological work; an 11th-century verse description of nearly a hundred herbal medicines, here in the second edition to include the additions and commentaries of 1527; and the third and best edition of the first lapidary, written around 1100, discussing precious stones, especially the magical and therapeutic properties of gems.Ad 1. First edition of two pharmacological works by the Byzantine physician Paulus of Aegina (ca. 625-ca. 690). The first, Pharmaca simplicia, prepared for publication by the great German pioneer of scientific botany Otto Brunfels (1488?-1534), provides brief accounts of the properties and uses of about 750 pharmacological simples, the basic ingredients… Read More