Ortus medicinae. Id est, initia physicae inaudita. Progressus medicinae novus, in morborum ultionem, ad vitam longam. Edente authoris filio, F. M. van Helmont

Amsterdam: Elzevir, 1648. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Ortus medicinae. Id est, initia physicae inaudita. Progressus medicinae novus, in morborum ultionem, ad vitam longam. Edente authoris filio, F. M. van Helmont. Amsterdam: Elzevir, 1648. 4to (205 x 160 mm). [36], 1-88, 87-158, 161-176, 175-382, 373-452, 457-800 pp. With engraved portraits of Helmont and his son on *4v and some woodcuts in text, frequent mispaginations. [Bound with:] Opuscula medica inaudita. Editio secunda. Three parts in one. Amsterdam: Elzevir, 1648. [8], 110, [2]; 115 [1]; 88 pp., including general title and separate title-leaves to each part, with the final blank P4 of De Lithiasi. Two works in one volume. 4to (205 x 162 mm). Contemporary full vellum, spined titled in manuscript, red-dyed edges, original endpapers (vellum soiled and spotted, corners bumped). Text quite bright and crisp throughout, very minor occasional spotting, a few pages with light dampstaining to blank fore-margin, two ink spots to edge penetrating a few mm inside, sparse light ink annotations and text markings in contemporary hand; pp. 100-101 of De Lithiasi soiled and spotted, lower corner of general title repaired, old paper repair to upper corner of p.107/8 of first work not affecting text. Provenance: Joseph Luce (his book ticket and an early engraved armorial bookplate with no text on front pastedown). Fine, wide-margined copy in untouched original binding, collated complete. ----

PMM 135; Norman 1048; NLM/Krivatsy 5447; Heirs of Hippocrates 254; Osler 2929, Waller 4307; Wellcome III, 241; Hirsch-H. III,153; Willems 1066; Garrison-Morton 665 - FIRST COLLECTED EDITION; second edition of Opuscula medica inaudita. "Helmont was one of the founders of biochemistry. He was the first to realize the physiological importance of ferments and gases, and indeed invented the word 'gas'. He introduced the gravimetric idea in the analysis of urine. The above work is a collection of his writings, issued by his son" (Garrison-Morton).
"Helmont devoted his life to exploring the first principles of nature through chemistry. He is best remembered as the discoverer of gas, a term he coined to describe the 'specific smokes' that remain after the combustion of solids and fluids; among the gases he identified were carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, chlorine gas and sulphur dioxide. He denied that metals dissolved in acid were either destroyed or transmuted, stating that such metals were recoverable in their original quantities, and correctly identifying the process of precipitation. Like Paracelsus, he rejected traditional humoral pathology and advocated an ontological concept of disease, regarding each disease as a specific entity caused by a specific pathogenic agent. He demonstrated that acid is the agent in animal digestion and came near to identifying it as hydrochloric acid; he also identified the causes of asthma and correctly described fever as a part of the body's natural healing process... Though separately paginated 'Opuscula medica inaudita' is considered a part of the whole volume, as indicated by the 'Index tractatum' on 5*5 - 5*6. Originally published as a separate work in 1644, 'Opuscula medica inaudita' contains reprints of Helmont's treatises on the stone, on fevers, on the errors of humoral pathology, and on the plague" (Norman 1048). - Visit our website to see more images!