Milestones of Science Books

OTTO, Adolph Wilhelm.

Monstrorum sexcentorum descriptio anatomica / Museum anatomico-pathologicum Vratislaviense.

Vratislaviae: Sumptibus Ferdinandi Hirt, 1841.

1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. Item #002903

Large folio (527 x 370 mm). xx, 335 [1] pp., 30 engraved plates (one hand-coloured) protected by tissue guards, text in Latin and within ruled border throughout. Bound in contemporary cloth, spine with gilt lettering and ruling (rebacked, spine ends and extremities rubbed, corners bumped, new endpapers). Text foxed throughout, plates crisp and virtually unfoxed, lower blank margin of first 4 plates with single smaller waterstain). Provenance: Dr. Cordes, Geneva (stamp on second title). Very good copy with the plates clean and bright. ----

Wellcome IV, 275; Lesky 486; Goldschmid 166; Hirsch IV, 449f. FIRST EDITION, VERY RARE, of Otto's monography on human and bestial monstrosities. The famous depiction of human and animal malformations in clear lines on the basis of exact drawings. Many of these illustrations have been inherited in later compilations. Of human images is to mention, T. 2 and 3: the Cyclop, the facial cleft: T. 5 and 6, the abdominal cleft and umbilical hernia: T. 9 ff, chondrodystrophy: T. 22; the twin formations: T. 24. Some illustrations are executed in a puncture engraving, some essentially scraped or erased. On one table, the arteries are hand-colored in red. (see Goldschmid).
"Die berühmte Darstellung menschlicher und tierischer Missbildungen in klarem Linienstich nach exakten Zeichnungen. Hier finden sich zahlreiche in allen späteren Sammlungen übergegangene Abbildungen. Von menschlichen Bildern wollen wir hier nur erwähnen T. 2 und 3, den Cyklopen. Die Gesichtsspalte, T. 5 und 6. Bauchspalte und Nabelhernie, T. 9 und folgende. Chondrodystrophie T. 22; die Doppelbildungen T. 24. Einzelne Abbildungen sind in Punktierstich ausgeführt, manche im wesentlichen geschabt oder radiert. Auf einer Tafel sind die Arterien rot illuminiert." (Goldschmid). The book has a second title page 'Museum anatomico-pathologicum Vratislavense'. - Visit our website for additional images and information.

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