The mechanism of dislocation and fracture of the hip. Insc. to P. Ricord

Philadelphia: Henry C. Lea, 1869. Bigelow, Henry Jacob (1818-90). The mechanism of dislocation and fracture of the hip. With the reduction of the dislocations by the flexion method. 8vo. iv, [3]-150pp. Text illustrations. Boston: Henry Lea, 1869. 237 x 155 mm. Original cloth, extremities and corners a bit worn. Very good. Presentation Copy, inscribed to Ricord on the title: “M. Ricord hommage de l’auteur.” Hôpital Cochin library stamps on the title and a few other leaves. First Edition. Bigelow was the first to describe the Y-shaped ilio-femoral ligament and its mechanism, and its use as a fulcrum in reduction of hip dislocations. “His well-known method (truncated) of reducing a traumatic dislocation was based on careful dissections and mechanical studies, described in [his] The mechanism of dislocation and fracture of the hip (Philadelphia, 1869). This helped to found the subsequent treatment of congenital dislocation by manipulation (Lorenz’s ‘bloodless method’) and open operation (Hoffa)” (Le Vay, History of Orthopedics, p. 389; see also p. 388). Philippe Ricord, the recipient of this copy, spent the first 19 years of his life in America and must have been fluent in English; nevertheless Bigelow, who might not have known Ricord well, inscribed this copy to him in French. Garrison-Morton.com 4424. Peltier, Orthopedics, p. 293. Rutkow History of Surgery, OR22. . (Inventory #: 50779)