Two full-page brush & black ink illus. of the human body, front & back, with names of pressure points. 36 folding leaves. 8vo (247 x 172), orig. wrappers (wrappers rather worn & wormed, recased), new stitching. [Japan: late Edo].

Our manuscript is arranged by section of the body from head to foot, with a listing of about 120 pressure points and their meridians, allied organs, and related illnesses. There are precise instructions on how to locate each pressure point by measurement.

At the end is a list of 45 pressure points that should not be touched, followed by two full-page... More

35; 18 folding leaves. Two vols. 8vo, orig. aubergine patterned wrappers, orig. block-printed title labels on upper covers, new stitching. Edo, Kyoto, & Osaka: various publishers, Prefaces dated 1859, Afterwords dated 1860.

First edition of this very rare work on epidemics and communicable diseases. “Koretsune or Ritsuen or Sohaku Asada (1813-1894) was a famous physician and a prolific writer on a variety of subjects in Japanese medicine…Asada began the study of medicine at the age of 13, soon coming under the influence of old Chinese physicians in Kyoto, a circumstance which was to have a powerful effect on his later... More

1 p.l., v-xliv, 543 pp.; 1 p.l., [3]-829 pp. Two vols. 8vo, cont. sheep (corners worn, head of spine of Vol. II a bit chipped), spines gilt, red morocco lettering pieces on spines, a.e.g. Paris: Barrois, 1763.

The sale catalogue of one of the most important and largest of all private book collections, especially strong in medicine and natural history; Peignot states (p. 97) “ce catalogue est un des plus considérables qui existent.” Falconet (1671-1762), French court physician, was a book collector for more than seventy years and this catalogue contains 19,798 lots (the library comprised about 60,000 books; many... More

1 p.l., 109 pp. Small 8vo, attractive modern marbled wrappers. Berlin: 1815.

The very rare sale catalogue — Loh, Vol. 6, p. 102, locates no copy — of the fine scientific library of Meyer (1739-1811), owner of the Hof-Apotheke in Stettin. He studied chemistry in Berlin under J.H. Pott and A.S. Marggraf, and in 1764 he went to Uppsala University, where he studied botany with Linnaeus and possibly chemistry with J.G. Wallerius. In 1780 Meyer founded a distillery in Stettin to produce French-style brandy and liqueurs according to a process that he had developed in his apothecary shop.

This library... More

xlii, one leaf of errata, 274 pp.; xx, 328 pp. Two vols. 8vo, cont. polished mottled calf (small inkstain to outer lower corner of the first 30 leaves), triple gilt fillet round sides, flat spines nicely gilt, red & green morocco lettering pieces on spines. Amsterdam: M.M. Rey, 1762.

First edition and a lovely set of this important work. Bonnet (1720-93), is considered one of the fathers of modern biology. He was an enthusiastic champion of preformation, the theory postulating that the animal already existed in miniature in the germ cell, which is first stated in this work. “Bonnet’s theory... More

Collected & edited by Jiang Shaoyu 江少虞. Complete in 78 parts plus table of contents, bound in 15 vols. (full collation supplied in the Hyde catalogue). Large 8vo (286 x 215 mm.), early paper wrappers, new stitching. [Japan]: chokuban [privately published by the Emperor Go-Mizunoo’s order], 1621.

First edition and a fine complete set of one of the very few surviving “imperial editions” printed with movable type (kokatsujiban 古活字版). There is considerable modern debate, with no definitive conclusion, whether this book was printed with metal or wooden type (see below). It is of very great rarity, and we find no... More

45 woodcut illus. in the text. 29 folding leaves. Three vols. in one. Large 8vo, orig. wrappers (rather rubbed, some light dampstaining), remains of block-printed title label on upper cover, modern stitching. [Kyoto]: Osumi Seibei, [Foreword dated 1311, colophon dated 1675].

The third edition — preceded by an undated early 17th-century undated edition and a 1659 edition — of this collection of dissertations on moxibustion and acupuncture. It concerns moxibustion treatment for adults and children with 36 pictures of adults and nine of children, illustrating the locations of acupuncture points with explanations of efficacies. This edition is notable for presenting... More

Seven vols. 8vo (218 x 160 mm.), orig. wrappers, each with an individual title label on upper cover, new stitching. [Japan: all late Edo].

A fascinating collection of texts on equine medicine, all bound in a similar fashion:

Vol. 1: Manuscript label on upper cover, entitled “Basho hijutsu den” [“Horse Book Secret Methods Passed On”]. Nine brush & ink illus. in the text. 31 folding leaves. This text is concerned with exercising horses in each season, and includes “32 Rules of Exercise.” At the end, we find a date of 1825, the name of the person who provided this information... More

Twelve full-page woodcuts & numerous woodcuts in the text. 36 folding leaves. Two parts in one vol. 8vo, orig. blue wrappers (wrappers rubbed & somewhat wormed), orig. block-printed title label on upper cover no longer present, modern stitching. “Ichijo-dori” [a street in Kyoto]: Tomikura Tahei, 1690.

First edition of this early and rare book providing prescriptions for treatments in the different stages of tuberculosis. The author describes ten drugs made from vegetables that give miraculous results in treating the disease. The second part, entitled “Mujo Gengen santen shinden gyokudo shoshi chiden shirochu soho,” describes the parasitic worms said to grow... More

Trans. by Shimamura Teiho 島村鼎甫. Four full-page illus. of surgical instruments. 38.5; 67.5 folding leaves. Two vols. 8vo, orig. semi-stiff patterned wrappers, orig. printed title-slips on upper covers, new stitching. Edo: Suharaya Ihachi 須原屋伊八, 1866.

First edition in Japanese of this translation of the tenth chapter, on wounds and contusions, from Gross’s highly important A System of Surgery (1st ed.: Philadelphia: 1859). Our edition was translated from the 1863 edition in Dutch. This was the first translation of any of Gross’s writings into Japanese; many of his books were fully translated later, in the 1870s.

Fine set and... More

49.5; 31; 57 folding leaves. Three vols. 8vo, orig. semi-stiff wrappers, orig. title-slips, new stitching. Kyoto: Igakuin zōhan 醫學院藏版, 1786.

[with]:

—. Igakuin gakuhan nihen 醫學院學範二編 [Curriculum of Igakuin, Second Series]. 38; 28.5; 18; 23; 17.5 folding leaves. Three vols. in five. 8vo, orig. semi-stiff wrappers, orig. title-slips, new stitching. Kyoto: Kasai Ichirōbē 葛西市郎兵衛, 1798.

First edition, and a rare complete set of both series. The Igakuin school of medicine of Kyoto was founded in 1782 (or 1784) by Hata (1721-1804), a successful doctor in Kyoto and physician to Empress Go-Sakuramachi 後桜町天皇. The school’s teachings were initially conservative... More

xliv, 292 pp. 8vo, cont. boards (corners a little worn). Berlin: C.F. Voss & Son, 1786.

First edition of this scarce book by the Jewish physician, philosopher, and scientist Marcus Herz (1747-1803). Reputed to be one of the best doctors of his time, he was the first, according to Hirsch, to offer lectures in experimental physics in Berlin. These lectures, first offered in 1776, were extremely popular and attracted all the leading residents of Berlin including members of the royal family, among them the future Frederick William III.

The present work is concerned with the various types of vertigo, their... More