De praxi medica

Baglivi, Georgius (1668-1707). De praxi medica . . . accedunt dissertationes novae. [20], 259, 119pp. Plate. Rome: Domenico Antonio Hercules, 1696. 158 x 100 mm. Old paper over thin wooden boards, spine label with title in manuscript (worn), spine partly detached, some wear especially at corners. Uneven toning, occasional light staining but good to very good.

First Edition. Believing that the physicians of his time were slaves to medical philosophies and systems, Baglivi attacked these systems in De praxi medica, calling for a return to the Hippocratic principle of sound clinical observation. The three "Dissertationes" added to the main work include Baglivi's account of the tarantula, his experiments with the infusion of drugs into the veins and spinal canal, his study of the circulation of the frog, and his description of the post-mortem he performed upon his mentor Marcello Malpighi, in which he determined that Malpighi's death had been caused by cerebral apoplexy. Norman 103.