TWO EARLY DESCRIPTIONS OF SYPHILIS

FALLOPIUS, Gabriel

De morbo gallico [sic] liber absolutissimus a Petro Angelo Agatho Materate...Additus etiam est in calce de Morbo Callico tractatus, Antonii Fracanciani Bononiae in loco eminentis scientiae faeliciter legentis.

Padua: Lucam Bertellum; Christopher Gryphium, 1564; 1563. Two works in one. 4to. [iv], 64; 16, [2] leaves. FIRST EDITIONS. Title page to each work. Three lovely woodblock text initials. Half-calf with paper boards; some leaves lightly water-stained along lower corners, otherwise an excellent copy. Item #14724

TWO EARLY DESCRIPTIONS OF SYPHILIS. First edition of two rare treatises on syphilis. “In this classic work on ‘the French disease,’ Fallopius wrote more knowingly of the Europe-wide scourge of syphilis than previous authors on the subject and was one of the first to oppose the use of mercury in its treatment.” Posthumously printed, Fallopius (1523-1562) was a surgeon and professor at Ferrar, Pisa and Padua where he succeeded his own teacher Vesalius. He here asserts his belief that syphilis was brought to Europe from America by the associates of Columbus, and strongly recommends the use of guaiac wood for its cure, though he also mentions certain other remedies.

The second treatise on the same subject is by Fracanzano (1500?-1569), who became professor of medicine at Padua in 1539.

There is a variant issue of De morbo dated 1563 on the title (although the colophon is dated 1564). The two versions differ only in the resetting of the date on the title. OCLC locates 9 copies total of both variants in America.

Price: $7,500.00