Item #B6729 Observations On The Nature And Consequences of Wounds And Contusions Of The Head, Fractures Of The Skull, Concussions Of The Brain, &c. Percivall Pott.
Observations On The Nature And Consequences of Wounds And Contusions Of The Head, Fractures Of The Skull, Concussions Of The Brain, &c.

Observations On The Nature And Consequences of Wounds And Contusions Of The Head, Fractures Of The Skull, Concussions Of The Brain, &c.

London: C. Hitch and L. Hawes. 1760. Edition: First Edition, Red-Lion., Binding: Full contemporary speckled calf, expertly rebacked in matching style. Spine with 5 raised bands. Decorative gilt rolls and motifs in compartments. Title in gilt on orange label in 2. All edges speckled red., Notes: “This book, which showed Pott's extensive knowledge of surgical literature, systematized the treatment of head injuries. It shows what a variety of injuries of the head could be sustained even before the advent of the motor-car. Includes the first description of "Pott's puffy tumour.” “The book was altered and republished under a different title in 1768.” Pg. 3 (B2) with a cancel: first line crossed out in ink.

Percivall Pott (1714 – 1788) was an English surgeon, one of the founders of orthopaedics, and the first scientist to demonstrate that a cancer may be caused by an environmental carcinogen; he succeeded [William] Cheselden as the greatest surgeon of his day. In 1775 Pott found an association between exposure to soot and a high incidence of scrotal cancer in chimney sweeps; this was the first occupational link to cancer. His work was instrumental to lead the Chimney Sweepers Act of 1788. In 1765, Pott was elected Master of the Company of Surgeons, the precursor to the Royal College of Surgeons of England.
“Just where Pott first encountered [his] views on head injuries cannot be determined. Through the English translations of the books of Le Dran or from the English edition of the Memoirs of the Royal Academy of Surgery Pott may have become aware of this important observation. The clarity of Le Dran's ideas about the distinction between concussion and compression are representative of the French school of surgery, which undoubtedly influenced Pott's views on head injuries.”
“Pott was a major proponent of an aggressive approach to the management of head injuries. He credited Le Dran for calling attention to the lucid interval that occurs prior to the onset of coma due to cerebral compression from an epidural collection. The preface to the 1760 edition, not reprinted in the 1768 edition, sheds considerable light on Pott's deeper understanding of surgery and the role of a ‘neurosurgeon.’”
, Size: 8vo.(199x118 mm), Provenance: Ex-Libris Captain Tottenham., References: Garrison-Morton-Norman 4850.5; Waller 7598., Pages: Blank (2). Title. Blank. Dedication (iii – v). Blank. Preface (vii – xxxii). P. 1 – 182. Blank (2)., Category: Book Medical;. A fine example. Interior is clean and crisp. Item #B6729

Price: $3,000.00

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