Explication nouvelle et mechanique des actions animales
Paris: Jean d’Houry, 1678. First edition.
A rare first edition of this early Cartesian-influenced physiological study by M. Duncan, a doctor of medicine at Montpellier, offering one of the earliest attempts to explain the mechanical basis of animal and human nervous action. Written at the intersection of anatomy, philosophy, and early neurology, the work treats the functions of the soul and the operations of the brain, presenting a systematic description of how movement and sensation might arise from mechanical causes rather than purely vital or spiritual ones. Duncan discusses the nature of the brain’s ventricles, the motion of “animal spirits,” and the mechanics of muscular contraction, aligning himself with the mechanistic physiology that followed Descartes, Willis, and Harvey. The chapters cover the nature of the soul, dissection of the brain, animal motion, and even methods of brain preparation for demonstration, all reflecting an advanced 17th-century understanding of comparative anatomy.
Printed in Paris by Jean d’Houry, the noted scientific publisher of the Faculty of Medicine, this compact octavo includes an engraved ornament and decorative initials, with early manuscript inscriptions on the title possibly from a Benedictine monastic library (“ex libris monasterii... ordinis St. Benedicti congregationis S. Mauri”). The work is seldom encountered on the market and represents an important step in early neurological thought linking mechanical philosophy to medical practice.
Condition & Binding: Contemporary full calf, spine with five raised bands, gilt floral tooling in compartments, and gilt title “EXPLIC DES ACT. AN.” Boards moderately rubbed with some scuffing and light edge wear; joints sound but showing minor cracking at extremities. Interior clean and crisp for age, with light scattered foxing and occasional small stains; old ownership notes and Benedictine provenance inscription on title page. Endpapers browned, corners slightly rounded. Overall- good. Item #742
Price: $500.00