Nils Rosen von Rosenstein; traduit par M. Le Fevre de Villebrune [ Un document de tout premier - Traité des maladies des enfans [ texte fondateur de la pédiatrie moderne ] - 1778-1778

ROSEN DE ROSENSTEIN, Nils
Treatise on the Diseases of Children
A work that is the fruit of long observation, and supported by the most authentic facts
Translated from Swedish by M. Le Febvre de Villebrune, D.M.
Paris, at Pierre-Guillaume Cavelier, bookseller, 1778
With the King’s approbation and privilege

A foundational text of modern pediatrics
Nils Rosén von Rosenstein (1706-1773), knight of the Star of Polar, president of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Stockholm and physician to the Swedish royal family, is regarded as the true father of scientific modern pediatrics. His treatise, published in Swedish in 1764, was the first systematic work entirely devoted to childhood diseases based on rigorous clinical observation, quickly translated into the great European languages and became an indispensable reference for physicians and practitioners of the Enlightenment era. Garrison-Morton n°6323 "Rosen was the founder of modern pediatrics and was particularly interested in infant feeding" - Dezeimeris IV/p.19,20 - Bayle & Thillaye II/p.335 - Bibliotheca Walleriana 8208.

This 1778 French edition is an early and precocious translation, enriched with numerous critical notes by the translator, who dialogues with the original text by supplementing it with references to other medical authorities of the time (Zimmermann, Van Swieten, etc.).

Jean-Baptiste Lefebvre de Villebrune (born: 1732 in Senlis (Oise) – died: 7 October 1809 in Angoulême (Charente)) is a physician, philologist and translator (Hebrew and Syriac, ancient Greek, Latin, Spanish, Italian, English, German, Swedish).

Initially a physician, he becomes professor of Hebrew and Syriac at the Collège de France from 1791 to 1794, then chief librarian at the Bibliothèque de la Nation in 1794-1795.
In 1797, he leaves Paris for Angoulême where he teaches natural history and the humanities.
He translated many works from ancient Greek, Latin, Spanish, Italian, English, German, and Swedish.

Content: the work covers the entire 18th‑century pediatrics — care of the newborn, breastfeeding and feeding, cradle hygiene, eruptive diseases (smallpox in particular, with a day‑by‑day clinical description of the evolution of symptoms), fevers, convulsions, prudent use of medicines and a warning against the dangers of opium in children. A document of prime interest for the history of medicine, the history of childhood, and the childcare practices of the Ancien Régime.

Publisher: At Pierre-Guillaume Cavelier, bookseller on Rue Saint-Jacques in Paris.
Format: In-octavo (12.5 cm x 20 cm) with XII pages of preface, 582 pages of text and privileges
Content: Clinical observations by the author on alimentation, care and childhood diseases (such as smallpox or measles)
Contemporary binding: full brown calf with marbling, spine with raised bands richly ornamented with gilded tooling (ornamental devices, floral scrolls), title piece in burgundy "MALADIES DES ENFANS". Red edges.

Condition: contemporary binding with usual signs of wear commensurate with a reference work consulted (friction and skin loss on the boards, corners worn, see photos), solid structure. Interior generally fresh, some scattered foxing, numerous critical notes at the bottom of the pages, clearly legible.
A prized item for any collector of the history of medicine, pediatrics, or 18th-century sciences.
Very careful shipment; Additional photos available on request.