Milestones of Science Books

DODONAEUS, Rembertus (DODOENS, Rembert).

Medicinalium observationum exempla rara, recognita & aucta.

Cologne: Maternus Cholinus, 1581.

1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. Item #004093

8vo (157 x 95 mm). [16], 367 (i.e. 397), [16] pp. Woodcut device on title-page with motto "Benedices coronae anni benignitatis tuae. Psal. 64", woodcut initials; index and errata leaf bound at end. Leaves Y7 and Y8 only numbered on recto and verso (335 incorrectly), respectively. Page no. 367 duplicated. Leaf Cc8 recto numbered 396, and the verso 367. Signatures: A-Z⁸ Aa-Cc^{8 2}A⁸. Contemporary blind-tooled sheep, spine with 4 raised bands, blue-dyed edges, original endpapers (leather rubbed, wear to extremities, spine ends chipped with caps showing, upper joint split, corners bumped and scuffed). Light even browning internally, minor light spotting in places, first title a trifle dust-soiled. Provenance: Stephan Stalsofry(?) (ex-libris and ex-dono inscriptions on pastedown and flyleaf); early inscription on flyleaf ("Artem guamlibet incundam facit experiential"); Medical Library of Jan E. Muhlbauer. Very good copy in unrestored contemporary binding.
VERY RARE FIRST EDITION of this collection by Rembert Dodoens, foremost botanist of his day, and court physician for Emperor Maximilian II and later Rudolph II. The work begins with descriptions of rare and difficult medical cases observed by Dodoens himself during his 40 years of practice, followed by extracts and works, including case of stillbirths, kidney stones, epilepsy, mania with melancholia, scurvy and twins, by other authors to which Dodoens has added annotations: Antonio Benvieni, "De abditis nonnullis ac mirandis morborum et sanationum causis"; Valasco de Tarenta and Alessandro Benedetti, "Medicialum observationum"; Mathias Cornax, Achilles P. Gasser and Gilles de Hertoghe, "Historiae gestationis foetus mortui in utero." The final work is an original essay by Dodoens in which he provides an overview of the state of physiology in his time, "Physiologices medicinae partis, tabulae expeditae," has a separate title-page (but with continuous pagination and register).
Bibliography: NLM/Durling 1179; Wellcome I, 1822; Adams D 720. VD 16 D 2132. - Visit our website to see more images!

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