Course of lectures on the physiology and pathology of the central nervous system delivered at the Royal College of Surgeons of England in May, 1858

Philadelphia: Collins, 1860. FIRST EDITION. With 3 numbered lithograph plates. Half morocco over boards, spine labels; interior very good with only minor foxing on last plate. First edition of Brown-Séquard’s investigation of spinal cord transection. In this series of lectures he defines the relative function of the posterior and anterior cord sections and their relationship to other neral pathways, and shows how trauma to transverse hemisection of the spinal cord can lead to motor paralysis and hyperesthesia at different points of the body. In this discovery, he was one of the first to describe the effects of traumatic spinal shock, and his research led to further study of spinal injuries and paralysis.

Brown-Séquard (1817–1894) was a Mauritius-born physiologist and pathologist who specialized in investigative medicine. He traveled widely, practicing medicine in Britain, the United States, and France. He was appointed a professor of medicine at the Collège de France teaching at both Paris and Nice. In addition to his work on the spinal cord, Brown-Séquard also researched the gastric system, was a pioneer in endocrinology, and continued to experiment with treatments for nervous system ailments including epilepsy.

DSB, II, pp. 524-6; Fulton and Wilson, Selected Readings in the History of Physiology, p. 297; Garrison, History of Neurology, pp. 421-23; Heirs of Hippocrates, 1841; Spillane, Doctrine of the Nerves, pp. 269-73.