VIGO Giovanni de La Pratica Universale in Cirurgia… di nuovo riformata, & dal Latino ridotta… Aggiuntivi due Trattati di M. Gio Andrea dalla Croce, l’uno in materia delle ferite, l’altro del cavar l’armi & le saette suori della carne.

NLM, 4626; Waller, 9971; not in Wellcome; cf. Garrison-Morton, 5559.1.

Important edition, translated from the original Latin.

This work on Surgery by Giovanni da Vigo (1460-1525), surgeon to Pope Julius II, is “the most complete system of surgery after that of Guy de Chauliac” (Garrison-Morton). It contains good descriptions of gangrene, skull fractures, hydrocele, hemostasis by ligature and especially syphilis, against which he advises mercurial friction. The work is divided into three parts: the “Surgery” itself, illustrated with woodcuts, most of them representing simple cases; the Compendio de cirurgia… composto per Mariano Santo barolitano [translated from Latin by Lorenzo Chrisaorio]; and finally Due trattati nuovi dell’eccellente M. Giovanni Andrea dalla Croce, illustrated with woodcuts representing instruments. This last part is a first draft of the Chirurgiae that would alter be published by Giovanni Andrea dalla Croce (1514-1575) in seven books, in 1573 (cf. Garrison-Morton, 4850.4). He is famous for the trepanning instruments he invented and for his interesting engravings of surgical instruments.

Small text loss at the corner of one leaf of the table, which has been bound in at the head of the volume here.

From the library of Dr. Maurice Villaret (book plate).