VESLING Johannes Syntagma anatomicum, commentario atque appendice. Editio secunda.

Wellcome, V, 346; N.L.M., 12336; see Heirs of Hippocrates, 476 ff.

A true second edition (the previous editions are corrected editions of the first of 1641), much enlarged and richly illustrated.

Revised, corrected and enlarged by Gerard Blasius, it contains contributions by Gaspare Asellio, Thomas Bartholin, Lorenzo Bellini, Reinier de Graaf, Nathaniel Highmore, Marcello Malpighi, Jacob Henrik Paulli, Olof Rudbeck, Frederick Ruysch, Konrad Victor Schneider, Nicolaus Steno and Thomas Willis. Vesling’s main text covering pages 1 to 307 is followed by the long Appendix pp. [309]-558.

The iconography consists of a fine title page with the author giving medical lectures to his pupils, a portrait of the author at the beginning of the text and 52 full-page anatomical engravings.

“A native Westphalian, Vesling lived in Egypt for several years before becoming professor of anatomy and surgery in Padua in 1632. He was also director of the botanical gardens there and, in addition to his study of Egyptian flora, also led a scientific expedition to Crete in order to study its plant life. The present work is his most important contribution and was popular as a textbook for a number of years. Vesling aimed to explain the parts of the body as they were encountered during dissection and to avoid discussion of theoretical matters in order not to create confusion” (Heirs, for the first illustrated edition 1641 with only 2 engravings).

Toned, pages 111/112 with small hole due to paper defect not affecting text or image.

Complete copy, with the often missing engraved portrait.