Lot 19: JEAN BAPTISTE MARC BOURGERY (1797-1849) AND NICOLAS HENRI JACOB (1781-1871, ILLUSTRATOR)

Traité complet de l'anatomie de l'homme, comprenant la médicine opératoire. Paris: C.-A. Delaunay, 1839-1854. 16 volumes in 8 (including atlases), 2° (430 x 320mm). 8 engraved titles, hand-coloured lithographed frontispiece, and 723 (of 726) hand-coloured lithographed plates (lacking one plate each in vols. 3, 4, and 5), some folding, by Bénard, Delaporte, and others after Nicolas Henri Jacob. (Spotting and browning, more pronounced in the text, short marginal tears to folding plates.) Contemporary French gilt red red morocco backed boards (extremities rubbed, vol. 2 with some surface loss to upper board, some soiling). Provenance: a contemporary reader (a small group of original anatomical drawings laid-in).

FIRST EDITION. 'ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFULLY ILLUSTRATED ANATOMICAL AND SURGICAL TREATISES EVER PUBLISHED IN ANY LANGUAGE' (Eimas Heirs 1569). Traité complet de l'anatomie was Bourgery's life work, first conceived soon after receiving his doctorate, which occupied him until his death. Bourgery conducted rigorous observations, based on original anatomical preparations, and produced a number of important syntheses, particularly in embryology and on the anatomy of the central nervous system. The work is divided into four parts which cover descriptive anatomy, surgical anatomy and techniques, general anatomy and embryology and microscopic anatomy. Nicolas Jacob was a pupil of David, and made his drawings from 'life'; some of the anatomical preparations on which they are based were prepared by Claude Bernard. Bourgery studied medicine at Paris and was an intern of both Laënnec and Dupuytren, and won gold medals for excellence from the Paris faculty.

This set is a mixed issue of the first edition. The bibliographies consulted do not agree on the date the publication of the first edition began (Brunet gives 1830, Wellcome 1831, and Waller 1832) but all parts appear to have remained in print until at least 1854, when the series was completed. Each volume has a title for the text and an engraved title for the plates. When needed parts were issued with cancel titles, and the date in the engraved title was corrected. In the present set the titles are dated as follows: vol. I: 1840/1840; II: 1851/1831; III: 1844/1844; IV: 1851/1836; V: 1839/1839; VI: 1852/1839; VII: 1840/1840; VIII: 1854/1844. Brunet I, 1179; Waller 1372; Wellcome II, p. 214. (8)

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