A Medical Discourse, or An Historical Inquiry into the Ancient and Present State of Medicine: the substance of which was delivered at opening the medical school, in the city of New-York ... Printed by desire de Middleton, Peter - 1769

New York: Hugh Gaine, 1769. First edition. [2],ii,72pp. 12mo. Disbound. Inked library stamp on title. Cloth box. Provenance: Haskell F. Norman (bookplate, his sale Christie's New York, 15 June 1998, lot 675). First edition. [2],ii,72pp. 12mo. The First American Treatise on the History of Medicine: The Norman Copy. Middleton served as the Professor of the Theory of Physic at King's College (now Columbia University) and delivered this discourse at the opening of the medical school in 1767 - the first work on the history of medicine published in America.

A contemporary account of the event in the New York Mercury lauded the discourse: "The satisfaction of the learned and splendid audience on this occasion, was universal; and more especially so, when they considered the performance, as the beginning of an institution, so replete with advantages to mankind in general, and to the inhabitants of this province in particular."

Evans incorrectly calls for a frontispiece portrait of Myles Cooper, Shipton & Mooney explaining that no portrait was issued with the work and Evans had merely identified an extra illustration in the AML copy. Very rare, with the present Norman copy being the only in the auction records in the last forty years, selling for $8625 in 1998. Evans 11338; Austin 1298; ESTC W23060; Sabin 48866; Shipton & Mooney 11338; Ford, Journals of Hugh Gaine, p. 121-122; Norman 1509