THE FOUNDATION OF SURGICAL ANATOMY

GENGA, BERNARDINO.

Anatomia chirurgica cioè Istoria anatomica dell'ossa, e muscoli del corpo humano, con la descrittione de vasi piu riguardeuoli che scorrono per le parti esterne, & un breue trattato del moto, che chiamano circolatione del sangue .

Rome, Nicoloò Angelo Tinassi, 1672.

Small 8vo. Near contemporary full calf biding with five raised bands to richly gilt spine. All edges of boards gilt. Hinges, capitals and corners with wear. Cords showing at front hinge, but still tight. Slight spotting to margins of title-page and some scattered brownspotting (not heavy). Overall a fine, unrestored copy with wide margins. Book plate to inside of front board and an old library stamp (Académie de Chirurgie) to title-page. (26), 455, (1) pp. Engraved frontispiece.

The rare first edition of the first book devoted entirely to surgical anatomy. Genga's milestone work founded the discipline of anatomical surgery; it was frequently reprinted and remained a widely used manual for decades after its first appearance. Genga furthermore, in the tract appended to this work (i.e the "Breve Discorso" on the circulation of the blood, pp. 420-448), showed himself to be one of the first Italians to accept Harvey's theory on the circulation of blood.

"Though anatomy was hitherto cultivated with much success as illustrating the natural history and morbid states of the human body, yet little had been done for the elucidation of local diseases, and the surgical means by which they may have been successfully treated. The idea of applying anatomical knowledge directly to this purpose appears to have originated with Barnardin Genga, a Roman surgeon, who published in 1672, at Rome, a work entitled "Surgical Anatomy, or the Anatomical History of the Bones and Muscles of the Human Body, with the description of the Blood-vessels". This work, which reached a second edition in 1687, is highly creditable to the author, who appears to have studied intimately the mutual relations of different parts." (Encyclopaedia Britannica).

This foundational work, Genga's first work, was extremely influential and widely used. It was reprinted a number of times within the following decades. The first edition of it is of great scarcity. Most of the bibliographies only have later editions, and one of the few copies that are listed on OCLC is incomplete, lacking the title-page. We have only been able to locate one copy at auction within the last 40 years (in 1979).

Heirs of Hippocrates: 337 (1687-edition)
Wellcome III:102 (only later editions)
Garrison-Morton: 387 ("First book devoted entirely to surgical anatomy").

Order-nr.: 51447