Michael Ettmüller - Pratique spéciale de medecine - 1698

ETTMÜLLER, MICHEL.
Special practice of Michel Ettmuller’s medicine on diseases peculiar to Men, Women & young Children... Second Edition. Revised, corrected & enlarged. Lyon: Thomas Amaulry, 1698.

In-8°. Full brown calf of the period, spine with raised bands decorated with compartments and gold fleuron ornaments, title piece in red morocco.

Second Lyon edition, revised and enlarged, of this important treatise on practical medicine of the XVIIth century by the famous German physician and professor Michael Ettmüller (1644–1683), a dominant figure of the Leipzig faculty.

The work constitutes a pioneering clinical panorama: it successively addresses pathologies specific to men, gynecology/obstetrics (diseases of Women), and a forward-looking section on pediatrics (diseases of small Children). The work is enriched with curious and recherché dissertations on varied medical and public health topics: epilepsy, drunkenness (drinking), melancholy/hypochondria, obesity (the Corpulence) and the treatment of viper bite.

Period binding in full solid calf very well preserved despite minor wear to the crowns and corners; gilt on the spine still bright, title label red and well preserved. Interior on period paper showing uniform browning and light water stains/smudges on the title page without affecting legibility of the text. Good copy of this XVIIth‑century medical classic.

Michael Ettmüller is remembered in medical history for being one of the first great European professors to lift medicine out of abstract theories and focus on direct clinical observation and medical chemistry (iatrochemistry).

In an era when overweight was seen as a sign of opulence and drunkenness as merely a moral fault, Ettmüller’s dissertation on “Drunkenness” and “Corpulence” stands out! He scientifically analyzes the effects of alcohol fermentation on the blood and nervous system, and characterizes obesity as a metabolic disorder requiring a precise dietary regimen, making this book a precursor to modern treatises on addiction and nutrition.