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Volker Riepenhausen

EXTREMELY RARE MEDICAL CLASSIC WHICH INTRODUCED QUANTITATIVE MEASUREMENT OF THE PULSE 

This is the second edition of Santorio’s extremely rare work in which he introduced the radical idea that the properties of the body depended not only on the traditional imprecise Galenic interpretation of the balance of humors, but also on qualities that could be measured quantitatively with instruments. 

In this work Santorio presented his first discussion of his pulse-clock (‘pulsilogium’), the first instrument for measuring the pulse, and his scale (see below for more details). This is one of the rarest medical books of the seventeenth century.  

Throughout most of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Santorio’s name was linked with that of Harvey as the greatest figure in physiology and experimental medicine because of his introduction of precision instruments for quantitative studies. 

He was also the founder of metabolic research. Using himself as a subject, Santorio conducted a long series of experiments with the scale and pulse-clock first mentioned here, as well as with a thermometer and other measuring instruments. He used these instruments to measure such metabolic phenomena as pulse rate, respiration, body temperature and the daily variations in the weight of his body relative to ingestion and excretion. Santorio’s work introduced quantitative experimentation into biological science and opened the way to mathematical and experimental analysis of physiological phenomena.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

The full title of the book is "Sanctorii Sanctorii Justinopolitani Medici ac Philosophi, Methodi vitandorum errorum omnium qui in arte medica contingunt libri quindecim : quorum principia sunt ab auctoritate medicorum & philosophorum principum desumpta, eaque omnia experimentis, & rationibus analyticis comprobata. Nunc primum accessit ejusdem authoris De inventione remediorum liber. Cum triplice indice." 

This translates to: "Sanctorius of Justinopolis, Physician and Philosopher, Fifteen Books on Methods of Avoiding All Errors Occurring in the Medical Art: Principles of which are taken from the authority of leading physicians and philosophers, and all of which are proven by experiments and analytical reasoning. Now first added is the author's book On the Discovery of Remedies, with a threefold index." 

In essence, the book details how to avoid errors in medical practice by grounding principles in established authorities, experimental evidence, and logical analysis. It also includes a section on finding remedies.

BOOK DETAILS AND CONDITION REPORT:

Octavo, pp. [16] 605 [1], [50] 108. First Section of book is 605 pages, second Section is 108 pages.  33 Total unnumbered leaves. Contemporary vellum with ink lettering on spine. Vellum in great condition. One joint is look but book holding together well. Has stamp on title page from the Biblioteque de Sciences et Medicales de Ganat (Aller). Scratched out name of former owner also on title page. Title page in red and black lettering. Some minor waterstains at bottom of a few pages. Overall, pages are crisp and clean. No evidence of foxing or worming. Condition: very good.

RARITY ANALYSIS:

This book is extremely rare. According to USTC this book is available in four editions. The 1603 Venice first edition, the 1630 second edition (Geneva) which is the offered copy, the 1630 second edition (Venice) and the 1631 third edition (Geneva). The book is extremely scarce with no copies of either 1630 edition appearing at auction in the last century. The 1603 has appeared twice at prices in the three to five thousand dollar range. USCT notes that sixteen copies of the first edition (1603) are found in the world’s libraries and twelve copies of the offered 1630 edition are extant including three French libraries (incl BNF), four in Germany, two in Switzerland, one in the UK (Bodley) and two in the U.S. (Harvard Countway and Georgetown).  One copy of the first edition is on offer in the dealer market today at a price of $12,500.

PROVENANCE:

This book is from the collection of the famed French book collector Arthur Tatossian.

REFERENCES:

1603 Edition: Garrison-Morton 572.1; Gedeon pp.36-37; Wellcome I, 5757; Alden and Landis 603/101; Krivatsy 10250. 1630 (Geneva): Swissbib 440953898; USTC 6701743.

SIGNFICANCE OF THE BOOK: MEASUREMENT OF PULSE RATE:

The first known physician to systematically measure the pulse rate was Herophilos of Chalcedon, a Greek physician working in Alexandria around 335–280 BCE. He made a major contribution to early diagnostics by using a water clock (clepsydra) to time the frequency of the pulse, allowing for a more objective assessment of its rhythm and rate. Herophilos understood the pulse as an indicator of health, and his efforts represented one of the earliest attempts to quantify physiological function.

His work laid the foundation for later physicians, most notably Galen in the 2nd century CE, who expanded pulse diagnosis by classifying various types of pulse rhythms and linking them to specific diseases. In medieval Islamic medicine, Avicenna (Ibn Sina) refined this approach even further, emphasizing the diagnostic value of the pulse and suggesting it could reflect not only physical but also emotional states. These contributions helped cement the pulse as a central tool in clinical assessment for centuries.

After Avicenna the first physician to systematically discuss measurement of the pulse rate was Santorio Santorio in this book. Santorio distinguished himself by applying quantitative, instrument-based measurement to physiology—including the pulse.

Santorio introduced the pulsilogium in the early 17th century—an instrument modeled after the pendulum (influenced by Galileo’s studies of motion). This device allowed for precise, consistent measurement of the pulse rate by matching the frequency of a swinging pendulum to the patient's heartbeat. Unlike Herophilos’s water clock, which was more rudimentary, the pulsilogium provided a standardized and repeatable method for measuring pulse intervals with unprecedented accuracy.

In this respect,  Santorio was a pioneer of the iatrophysical school, which sought to explain bodily functions using principles of mechanics and mathematics. His work marked a shift from qualitative, observational medicine (typified by Galen) toward a quantitative and empirical approach, using tools and data to study the human body.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Note: A fascinating and comprehensive discussion of Santorio’s remarkable life was published by Hollerbach in 2023. You can find it by googling Santorio and Hollerbach. He discusses how important the present book was for Santorio’s career – specifically in allowing him to take a prestigious professorship at Padua.

Santorio Santorio (1561–1636), also known as Sanctorius, was an Italian physician, physiologist, and professor who played a pivotal role in the early development of quantitative medicine. Born in Capodistria (now Koper, Slovenia), then part of the Venetian Republic, he was educated in medicine at the University of Padua, one of Europe’s leading centers of scientific inquiry during the Renaissance. There he came into contact with new ideas in anatomy, physics, and experimental science that would shape his career. Inspired by the mechanical philosophy emerging in the wake of Galileo’s discoveries, Santorio sought to bring mathematics and measurement into the traditionally qualitative practice of medicine.

In 1611, Santorio was appointed professor of theoretical medicine at the University of Padua, a post he held until 1624. During this time, he established himself as a key figure in the iatrophysical school, which applied mechanical and physical principles to the study of the human body. It was in Padua that Santorio collaborated with Galileo Galilei and other natural philosophers, and where he developed his most famous instrument, the pulsilogium. This device—essentially a pendulum adjusted to synchronize with a patient’s pulse—allowed for the first systematic and numerical measurement of pulse rate, improving upon the more rudimentary methods of ancient physicians like Herophilos, who had used water clocks.

Santorio’s greatest and most influential work was the publication of his De Statica Medicina (1614), in which he recorded thirty years of self-experimentation. Using a specially designed weighing chair, he meticulously measured his own body weight, food intake, excretions, and insensible perspiration (the loss of weight not accounted for by visible bodily outputs). This methodical and data-driven approach made him a pioneer of metabolic studies and one of the first scientists to emphasize the importance of quantitative observation in medicine. His work marked a transition from the humoral theory of medicine to a more modern, empirical model.

Santorio's integration of scientific instrumentation into medicine laid the foundation for later advancements in physiology and clinical diagnostics. His work exemplifies the intellectual ferment of Renaissance Padua, where humanism, classical learning, and experimental science converged. Though he eventually left his professorship, he remained active in research and innovation until his death in Venice in 1636. Today, Santorio is remembered as a father of experimental physiology, a visionary who brought precision and objectivity to the study of the human body centuries before the rise of modern biomedicine.



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