De motu cordis et aneurysmatibus, opus posthumum in duas partes divisum

Rome: Giovanni Maria Salvioni, 1728. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Folio - over 12 - 15" tall. Folio (347 x 230 mm). viii, 160, [2] pp. Engraved portrait frontispiece of the author by Jakob Frey after Sebastian Conca, title printed in red and black with engraved vignette by C. Gregori, engraved text illustration on p.123, errata leaf and 7 engraved plates of the heart and coronary system after N. Riccioli bound at end. 20th-century half vellum over xylographic paper covered boards, spine with gilt-lettered morocco label, red dyed edges. Light dampstaining to fore-margin of frontispiece, little uneven browning of text, very minor occasional spotting, light waterstaining to blank fore-margin of 7 text leaves, tear at upper corner of errata leaf repaired without loss, plates mounted on stubs and with some tears repaired. Provenance: Stanescu family (collection stamp with motto "Six luceat lux" and shelf-mark stamp to first free endpaper, faint red stamp to title-page, stamp to blank backside of plates). A generally crisp and clean copy. ----

Norman 1275; Osler 3152; Cushing, L 32; NLM/Blake 254; Wellcome III, p.441; Garrison-Morton 2973. RARE FIRST EDITION of a posthumously published work on cardiac pathology - a continuation of Lancisi's study on the movement of the heart and aneurysms, started with his earlier book on sudden death, De subitaneis mortibus libri duo (1707). In the present work Lancisi showed that many heart lesions were syphilitic in nature and gave the first clinical description of syphilis of the heart. He noted the frequency of cardiac aneurism and demonstrated the importance of syphilis, asthma, palpitations, violent emotions and excess as causes. Based upon his own experiments, Lancisi also reported that mercury injected into the coronary arteries shows up in the chambers of the heart, which led him to speculate that the injected material escaped through venous channels. With Vieussens Lancisi shares the honour of laying foundation of the pathology of heart disease. - Visit our website for additional images and information.