HARVEY, William. Anatomical Exercitations, Concerning the Generation of Living Creatures: To which are added Particular Discources, of Births and of Conceptions &c.
Pub. LONDON: Printed by James Young, for Octavian Pulleyn, and are to be sold at his shop at the sign of the Rose in St Paul's Churchyard. 1653.
'Harvey's excellent work on generation first appeared in Latin in 1651 printed in London. The English translation is very rare.
'Harvey was among the first to disbelieve the erroneous doctrine of the 'preformation' of the foetus; he maintained that the organism dervies from the ovum by the gradual building up and aggregation of its parts. The chapter on midwifery in this book is the first work on that subject to be written by an Englishman. This book also demonstrates Harvey's intimate knowledge of the existing literature on the subject. He corrected many of the errors of Fabricius. Harvey considered this to be the culminating work of his life and more significant then De motu cordis.' (Russell) The chapter on labour, De Partu, is the first original work on obstetrics to be published by an Englishman.
Brief collation; Portrait, title, [22]leaves, 566pp, [1]leaf (errata) [1] Portrait facsimile.
Stub of original still between A7 and A8. The Faithorne bust of Harvey is missing in the majority of copies, being eagerly sought after by print collectors.
Older rebinding in ruled full leather is in good condition, spine a little sunned. Title is soiled with an old, small, foredge repair. Text block dusted to the top. Greater bulk of the text is quite clean and straight. Final Erata leaf is soiled and stained. Owner details William Simpson, Surgeon, Knaresbro (Yorkshire), bookplate and his signature on title. Bookplates: Simpson, William Surgeon, Knaresbro. The bookplate appears to be 17th century, the date 1696 is added in pencil, also, Ex Libris Anatomica K.F. Russell. (167x108mm)


Estimate $2,000-4,000