[Various] - Dictionnaire de médecine - 1821-1828

Very important collection consisting of the complete set in 21 volumes, from Volume I to Volume XXI, published over eight years. The Bibliothèque nationale de France and the Wellcome Collection describe this edition in 21 volumes, and Wellcome notes that the second edition appears under a different title, which allows identifying this set as the first edition.

The volumes progressively cover the entire vocabulary of medicine, anatomy, surgery, pharmacy, and science of the era, with numerous articles signed by leading collaborators. Among the most notable names are Mathieu Orfila, Gabriel Andral, Pierre-Augustin Béclard, Laurent-Théodore Biett, Étienne-Jean Georget, Hippolyte and Jules Cloquet, Léon Rostan, Philibert-Joseph Roux, and Pierre Rayer.

Pagination verified on the copies: 11,958 pages in total.

The 21 volumes are uniformly bound, with black spines bearing gilt titles and volume numbers. The whole presents a beautiful visual homogeneity.

Condition: interior in remarkably fresh condition for a publication aged about two centuries. Paper generally clear, print sharp, and reading perfectly easy. Some foxing, small stains, creases, and old traces vary by volume. Some leaves show more pronounced marks, without affecting legibility. A few fascicles or sheets remained very lightly handled, with some edges still uncut. A large folding table is present in one of the volumes.

The bindings show rubbing, signs of use, and light wear compatible with age, but overall the set remains visually homogeneous and solid.

The last tome, published in June 1828, ends explicitly with the note: “End of the twenty-first and last volume,” confirming the completeness of the set.

An important collection for the history of French medicine in the first third of the 19th century.