Morbid Anatomy of Some of the Most Important Parts of the Human Body

Albany: Barber & Southwick for Thomas Spencer, 1795. FIRST AMERICAN EDITION. Calf-backed contemporary marbled boards, spine label; interior somewhat browned, but a good copy from the library of the prominent Rhode Island physician Irving Addison Beck (1911-1998) with his very interesting bookplate. First American edition of this distinguished work of pathology, the first systematic textbook to treat morbid anatomy as an independent science. Baillie describes the morbid appearance of each organ at autopsy and categorizes his findings with case histories. Recorded here is the first comprehensive account of the pulmonary lesions of tuberculosis, the first clear descriptions of the morbid anatomy and symptoms of gastric ulcers, as well as emphysema, cirrhosis and dermoid cysts of the ovaries. The demand for this book was overwhelming and the both the first edition printed in London two years earlier, as well as this first American edition, each now extremely scarce, were sold out immediately.

Baillie (1761-1823) was the nephew of William and John Hunter, and in 1783 inherited their famous anatomy school and museum in London. He was also the last owner of the gold-headed cane.

Garrison & Morton, 2281, 3218, 3427; Long, A History of Pathology, pp. 93-94; Wellcome, II, p. 87 (all first edition).