Practicae Medicinae. Liber IV. De Mulierum & Infantium Morbis
Wittenberg: Ambrosii Roth, 1632. First Edition of Fourth Volume of this Series. Hardcover. This volume combines Sennert's 1632 work on diseases of women and children with his 1619 book on chemistry. Daniel Sennert (1572-1637), born in Breslau in Poland, is one of the most famous learned physicians of the 17th century. He held the chair of medicine at the University of Wittenberg for 35 years. He attempted to unite for the first time the principles of Aristotle, Galen, Paracelsus, and the atomists. This defender of Galen's humoral pathology was firmly rooted in the ancient traditions of medical thought (Heirs of Hippocrates). He was a skilled clinician, but also a spagyric physician, adept at witchcraft.
Daniel Sennert’s Liber quartus Practicae medicinae, De mulierum & infantium morbis, ac symptomatibus ("On the Diseases and Symptoms of Women and Children"), is the fourth volume of his influential eight-book medical compendium and offers a detailed, systematic exploration of gynecological and pediatric disorders within the framework of early 17th-century medical thought. In the first part, Sennert addresses a broad spectrum of women’s health issues, including menstrual irregularities, diseases of the uterus, infertility, complications of pregnancy, childbirth difficulties, and postpartum disorders such as lochial retention and puerperal fever, drawing upon ancient authorities like Galen, Hippocrates, and Soranus while integrating his own empirical observations to offer detailed descriptions of symptoms and practical treatments involving dietary measures, pharmacological compounds, and when necessary, manual or surgical interventions. In the second part, he turns to the diseases of infants, covering congenital abnormalities, digestive and neurological disturbances like colic, vomiting, convulsions, and teething disorders, with a clear sensitivity to the unique physiological characteristics of children and an emphasis on gentle, appropriate therapeutic methods.
BOOK DETAILS AND CONDITION:
Practicae Medicinae. Liber IV. De Mulierum & Infantium Morbis. Wittenberg: Ambrosii Roth I, 1632 1 bl + 16 lvs + 533pp + 1 lv + 96 pp + 2 lvs; 1 folding plate (First edition of fourth volume in this series of six books published between 1628 and 1636).
Bound with Sennert's De Chymicorum cum Aristotelicis et Galenicis Consensu ac Dissensu Liber: Cui Accessit Appendix De Constitutione Chymie, Wittenberg: Viduae & Hared Zachariae Schürer, Senioris, 1629.
4to Contemporary leather with spine label; wear to binding and slight loss lower edge of spine; some dampstaining, browning; 10 lvs + 434pp + 6 lvs.
Book shows significant age-related wear but remains structurally sound. The full calf leather binding is scuffed, mottled, and darkened, with visible rubbing, cracking along the spine, and frayed corners. Raised spine bands are present, though the joints show splitting, and no title label or gilt decoration survives. The covers are sound but worn, and the overall exterior has a dry, timeworn patina. Inside, the endpapers and inner hinges display heavy browning, foxing, and water staining, particularly at the gutters, though the binding still holds. The paper edges are tanned with evidence of red speckling, and the handmade laid paper has endured well despite moisture exposure. The text remains clear and legible, with no major losses or tears noted.
Second and significantly expanded edition (including the Constitutione Chymie for the first time) of Sennert's 1619 book that presents his theory of atoms. Caillet 10145 (regarding the first edition of 1619): "An excellent treatise by a spagyric physician and a discussion on Paracelsus’s method."; It is a plea for the introduction of chemical remedies into medicine, against the resistance of the Galenists and the anti-traditionalism of the Paracelsians. A detailed commentary on this work appeared as early as 1621 by Gregorius Martini. According to Brüning, Sennert was the first to introduce chemistry as an independent subject into the medical curriculum. Sennert “believed both in the transmutation of metals and in the necessity of astrology in medicine; however, he rejected a universal remedy such as Paracelsus’s alkahest”.
Neville (II, p 460): 1633 edition a close reprint of the second edition (Wittenberg, 1629).
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Daniel Sennert (1572–1637), from Breslau, professor in Wittenberg and court physician to the Elector, advocated for a reconciliation between Paracelsian and Aristotelian-Galenic medicine. He was one of the pioneers of iatrochemistry (Chemiatrie).
RARITY ANALYSIS:
Very Rare. Appears at auction in Rare Book Hub three times in the last century. USTC lists six extant copies in the world's libraries including two copies in the UK (Aberdeen and Glasgow) and no copies in the United States.
PROVENANCE:
From the Chemistry Book Collection of Arthur C. Greenberg. Good / No Jacket. Item #ABE-1746129549386
Price: $2,750.00