William Cheselden: The Anatomy of the Humane Body, first edition

"a standard medical text for well over the next one hundred years"

William Cheselden's The Anatomy of the Humane Body
Rare 1713 first edition, with 23 engraved anatomical plates

CHESELDEN, William. The Anatomy of the Humane Body. -- Syllabus, sive index humani corporis partium anatomocus. London: N. Cliff and D. Jackson, 1713. Two parts bound in one volume. Octavo, contemporary paneled calf rebacked; red leather label. $2200.

First edition of Cheselden's influential medical text, complete with 23 engraved plates (2 folding).

“During the late 17th and early 18th centuries medical training in Britain was poor and in particular there was little formal anatomy tuition. As a result, in 1711, Cheselden began private tuition in anatomy. This attracted many students away from the 'public' tuition at the Company of Barber-Surgeons and brought him in to conflict with this organization. His first major book was The Anatomy of the Human Body, published in 1713, and this became a standard medical text for well over the next one hundred years” (Stephen Parker). Cheselden’s Anatomy was so widely-used that it went through 13 editions by 1792. Garrison-Morton 390; Heirs of Hippocrates 810; Norman 464; Wellcome II, p. 335. Slight closed tear to plate of heart; small stain on rear board; generally a fine copy.

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