A treatise on the nervous sciatica, or nervous hip-gout

Cotugno, Domenico (1736-1822). A treatise on the nervous sciatica, or, nervous hip-gout. xx, 172pp. London: J. Wilkie, 1775. 206 x 130 mm. Mid-19th century American binding of half black sheep, spine gilt-ruled and lettered, marbled boards, light wear at edges and hinges, corners a bit bumped. Portion trimmed from upper margin of plate, not affecting image, but very good. The Haskell F. Norman copy, with his bookplate.

First Edition in English. "Cotugno published a classic description of sciatica, which is useful even today. He recognized two types-arthritic and nervous; the latter has been called 'Cotugno's disease,' and his book is confined to that type. It includes the first clear description of the association of edema with proteinuria" (Garrison-Morton.com 1382, referring to the 1764 Italian edition). Cotugno differentiated arthritic from nervous sciatica, which is located in the sciatic nerve itself. He also distinguished the posterior or true sciatica from disease of the anterior crural nerve.

Valsalva in 1692 briefly mentioned the cerebrospinal fluid, but "Cotugno was the first to describe the fluid surrounding the spinal cord and to suggest that it was in continuity with the ventricular and cerebral subarachnoid fluids. However, his concept of the cerebral and spinal fluid, which is the beginning of its modern physiology, remained in obscurity until rediscovery by Magendie some sixty years later" (Clarke & O'Malley). The first English edition of this work is extremely rare. Norman 523.