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A landmark of 17th–18th century medical literature, this sixth edition of Nicolai Tulpii Observationes Medicae brings together the complete lifetime observations of Nicolaes Tulp (1593–1674), the famed Dutch physician, anatomist, and civic leader of Amsterdam, immortalized by Rembrandt in The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp (1632). 

First published in 1641, Observationes Medicae records over 200 clinical cases derived from Tulp’s own practice, illustrating the empirical methods that shaped early modern medicine. The work offers pioneering case studies in pathology, surgery, epidemiology, and exotic diseases, including some of the earliest European references to conditions such as beriberi, smallpox, parasitic worms, bladder stones, and tropical fevers. It is also celebrated for containing one of the first scientific descriptions of the orangutan (“Satyrus Indicus”), an early contribution to zoological and anthropological thought.

This 1739 Leiden edition, printed by Georgium Wishoff, represents the definitive Editio Sexta—revised and expanded with supplementary material, including an oration by Ludovicus Wolzogen and two elegiac tributes by Petrus Francius. Richly illustrated with finely executed copperplate engravings, the volume depicts clinical and anatomical subjects in the tradition of the Dutch Golden Age, combining scientific precision with striking visual artistry. The plates, drawn and engraved by L. Wishoff, include detailed depictions of internal anatomy, pathological deformities, and dissections. 

A foundational work in the history of medical observation, this edition embodies the convergence of art, anatomy, and empiricism that defined early modern science.

Heirs of Hippocrates 464 (2nd ed): “Nicolaas Tulp (1593-1674): Along with other distinguished anatomists in Holland, Tulp, a professor of anatomy at Amsterdam, left a rich legacy of anatomical discoveries. His name is current in the eponym "Tulp's valve" (the ileocecal valve) and his face is familiar as the central figure in Rembrandt's painting, "Doctor Nicolaas Tulp Demonstrating the Anatomy of the Arm," which hangs in The Hague. The present work, Tulp's only book, was first published in 1641. This enlarged edition contains the first descriptions of beri-beri and of what is probably diphtheria. Several interesting plates complement the book, including a well-known one showing a most comically bemused chimpanzee, erroneously labeled an "orang-outang."

G-M 3737 (also the 1652 ed): “One of the earliest accounts of beri-beri is on pp. 300-05 of this work. Tulp, notable as the demonstrator in Rembrandt’s “Anatomy Lesson”, was among the first, in the same book, to describe the ileo-caecal valve (“Tulp’s valve”). The first edition was published in 1641. Tulp's book has various accounts of unusual illnesses and primarily growths or carcinomas, but also has accounts of creatures brought back from Dutch East India Company ships. His drawing of a Chimpanzee is considered the first of its kind. This creature was called an Indian Satyr, since all ships cargo was considered Indonesian. However, the accompanying text claims the animal came from Angola. This drawing was copied many times and formed the basis for many theories on the origin of man. Most notably, Tulp's work and that of Jacob de Bondt (alias Jacobus Bontius) was copied and republished by Linnaeus to show a link between apes and man."

BOOK DETAILS AND DESCRIPTION:

Leiden: Apud Georgium Wishoff, 1739. Sixth edition. Octavo. Full mottled calf with leader spine. Pagination: 8, 392, 7 pages plus 18 leaves, 4 frets, gold-stamped spine label, red edges all around, engraved frontispiece, engraved title vignette, 19 engraved full-page plates (numbered I to 18, one unnumbered), All original 18th-century. 

Vellum lightly darkened with some mottling and natural age toning; binding tight and square. Occasional light foxing and browning typical of 18th-century paper. Interior remarkably clean and crisp, margins generous. Minor contemporary ink annotations to preliminary leaves. Condition: Very Good.

SCARCITY:

This edition of Tulp's work is extremely rare. There are no copies of this book being sold at auction in the last century (RBH).

PROVENANCE:

With an 18th-century ownership inscription dated 1789 from an owner in Castres, France and the bookplate of Dr. François Moutier, a noted French physician and collector, this copy carries a distinguished provenance. 

François Moutier (1876–1952) was a French psychiatrist and neurologist known for his clinical work and writings on mental illness, particularly concerning depression, melancholia, and the interplay between psychological and somatic symptoms. A student of the renowned psychiatrist Valentin Magnan and later associated with the Parisian medical community, Moutier contributed to early 20th-century efforts to classify mood disorders within a biological and psychodynamic framework. He was also active in medical education and public health, promoting humane treatment of psychiatric patients and the modernization of asylums. His work bridged late-19th-century alienist traditions with emerging modern psychiatry, reflecting both clinical rigor and compassion for the mentally ill.

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