Hieronymus David Gaubius - Pathologie de M. Gaubius - 1788

PATHOLOGIE DE M. GAUBIUS
Paris: Théophile Barrois le jeune, 1788.

Revised and enlarged French edition of an influential medical treatise of the European Enlightenment, written by Hieronymus David Gaubius (1705–1780), professor of medicine and chemistry at Leiden and successor to Hermann Boerhaave.

Originally published in Latin under the title Institutiones Pathologiae Medicinalis, Gaubius’s work helped establish pathology as a systematic medical discipline. It examines the nature, causes and classification of disease, combining the medical theories of the Leiden school with detailed observations concerning symptoms and the functions of the human body.

The first French translation appeared in 1770. The present 1788 edition is the revised and enlarged second French edition, translated by the French surgeon Pierre Sue and updated from the third Latin edition published at Leiden in 1781 by David Hahn and the Nuremberg edition published by Ackermann in 1787.

The volume contains extensive discussions of:

• General and particular pathology
• The nature, causes and symptoms of disease
• Disorders of the solid and fluid parts of the body
• Blood, lymph, secretions and bodily humours
• Diseases caused by atmosphere, food and drink
• The effects and misuse of medicines
• Poisons and other harmful agents
• Sleep, emotions and the passions
• Disorders of the senses
• Delirium, spasms and paralysis
• Respiration, circulation, the heart and pulse
• Natural and reproductive functions
• The classification, progression and prognosis of diseases

The work reflects an important transitional period in the history of medicine, when traditional humoral theories were being reorganised alongside increasingly systematic study of the solids, fluids, organs and physiological functions of the body.

The preliminary leaves include the translator’s preface and the official approval of the Académie royale de chirurgie, confirming the work’s contemporary medical standing.

Complete with xviii preliminary pages and 556 numbered pages, including the final analytical table of contents.

BINDING AND PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

• Contemporary full mottled calf binding
• Spine with raised bands
• Gilt-tooled spine compartments
• Original gilt-lettered title label
• Red page edges
• Marbled endpapers
• Printed on laid paper
• Decorative typographic headpieces and ornaments
• Octavo format, approximately 21 × 13 cm

The original 18th-century binding gives the volume considerable historical character. Despite its external wear, the gilt decoration, title label, red edges and marbled endpapers remain visible.

PUBLICATION DETAILS

Author: Hieronymus David Gaubius (1705–1780)
Title: Pathologie de M. Gaubius
Translator: Pierre Sue (1739–1816)
Edition: Revised and enlarged second French edition
Publisher: Théophile Barrois le jeune
Place: Paris, France
Year: 1788
Language: French, translated from Latin
Format: Octavo, approximately 21 × 13 cm
Collation: xviii + 556 pages
Binding: Contemporary full mottled calf

CONDITION

Good antiquarian condition overall, with a well-preserved and complete interior and a considerably worn original binding.

The contemporary leather binding shows substantial rubbing, scuffing and surface wear consistent with age and use. Corners and board edges are worn. There is loss and splitting at the head of the spine, which should be handled with care. The gilt spine decoration and title label remain visible. The boards remain attached.

The interior is generally clean, complete and fully legible, with natural age toning, occasional foxing, scattered spots and minor handling marks. Some leaves show light waviness or creasing. An old handwritten ink notation is present on the title page.

The final numbered page, page 556, and the complete table of articles are present.


Please note that the photographs form an integral part of the description and condition report.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Hieronymus David Gaubius was one of the leading representatives of the Leiden medical school. A pupil and later successor of Hermann Boerhaave, he contributed to the development of pathology as a distinct and systematic field of medical study.

His Institutiones Pathologiae Medicinalis was widely used in European medical education and presented disease as a disturbance of both the fluid and solid components of the human body. The work occupies an important place between traditional humoral medicine and the later development of anatomical and physiological pathology.

This 1788 Paris edition is particularly interesting for combining Gaubius’s influential text with Pierre Sue’s revised French translation and the formal approval of the Académie royale de chirurgie.

SHIPPING

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