De recta curandorum vulnerum ratione
Amsterdam: Petrus vanden Berge, 1658.
Franciscus Arcaeus’ De recta curandorum vulnerum ratione is a foundational surgical treatise of the early modern period, first published in the late sixteenth century and widely disseminated across Europe. Arcaeus, a Spanish surgeon and physician, was among the first to systematize surgical wound treatment based on observation and practical experience rather than purely classical authority. The present work addresses the proper management of wounds, including surgical technique, infection control, healing processes, and treatment of trauma, along with an additional section devoted to the treatment of fevers. These texts represent an important stage in the evolution of scientific surgery, bridging medieval surgical tradition and the empirical methods that would later define modern medicine.
The volume contains an engraved frontispiece depicting a surgical scene, visually reinforcing the practical nature of the work and offering insight into seventeenth-century medical practice. The work was widely influential and translated into multiple European languages, reflecting its importance in the transmission of surgical knowledge. Arcaeus’ writings contributed significantly to early modern surgical methodology and were consulted by physicians and surgeons throughout Europe.
Condition & Binding: Bound in later full calf, likely 18th or early 19th century, with red morocco spine label lettered in gilt and simple blind-ruled panel borders. Binding is structurally sound, with hinges intact and boards firmly attached. Spine leather is clean and attractive with minor expected rubbing. Text block is complete and internally sound, with moderate age toning and occasional light spotting consistent with 17th-century paper. Overall- very good. Item #828
Price: $750.00