Parallele des Differentes Manieres de tirer la pierre hors de la vessie.

Paris :: Charles Osmont, 1730., 1730. Small 8vo. [2], vii, [3], 195, [5] pp. Title-vignette, woodcut head & tail pieces, 5 engraved folding plates (facing pp.: 5, 34, 49, 50, 106 [plates 3 & 4 are bound slightly out of order]), with the first two plates signed in the margin by the engraver Devaulx. Bound in the original full dark French calf, raised bands, gilt-stamped spine compartments, title label present, marbled endsheets; spine ends and joints reinforced with kozo. Very good. First edition. This is the first edition of Le Dran's work which is famous for his technique of utilizing instruments for lithotomies, wherein urinary stones were reduced and evacuated. In the work Le Dran studies the methods of Johann Jakob Rau (1668-1719), a Dutch surgeon and anatomist who made advances in lithotomy or the treatment of urinary stones, and William Cheselden (1688-1752), himself a pioneer of lateral lithotomy and iridectomy. / "Le Dran, French lithotomist, improved the operation of lithotomy. Murphy credits him for originating the lateral lithotomy usually attributed to Cheselden, whose method he discusses." -- Garrison and Morton. Note: A 1749 issue, called Suite du Parallele . . . contains a 6th engraved plate. "In this work, he reviews the writings of his predecessors, discusses pelvic anatomy and pathology, describes his surgical techniques, and illustrates the instruments used to perform lithotomy." -- Heirs of Hippocrates. / Le Dran, a renowned lithotomist attached to the hospital of La Charite, was chief surgeon of the French Army in the 1730's. He was innovative in his approach to the treatment of cancer. He and Cheselden were skilled at lithotomy, improving on the operation relating thereof. REFERENCES: Garrison and Morton 4283; Heirs of Hippocrates 807; Wellcome III, p. 472. Not in Cushing, or Osler. See: Murphy, History of Urology (pp 109-10, 115). (Inventory #: M14430)