Manuel anatomique et pathologique, ou abregé de toute l’anatomie

Paris: Gaspar Meturas, 1653. FIRST EDITION. Contemporary stiff vellum; title dusty, some dampstaining, first quire chipped at the top with no loss. A good copy in original condition. First edition of the French translation of Riolan’s landmark medical text. The Latin version was published 4 years earlier, and in his translation the author took the opportunity to introduce new theories, better anatomical descriptions, and responses to some of his contemporaries who found fault with the original text. In six books, Riolan describes the limbs, muscles, organs, and bones of the human body and how each works. He also shares his controversial theories about blood circulation that went against many of his contemporaries. However, the accurate descriptions in this work actually proved his system wrong.
Jean Riolan the Younger (1577?-1657) was a French physician and anatomist. He was the personal doctor of Marie de Medici until her death.
The Evan Bedford Library of Cardiology 168; Portal, Histoire II: 279-306; Not in Krivatsy, Wellcome, or Osler.