DE CONCEPTU ET GENERATIONE HOMINIS ET IIS QUAE CIRCA HAEC POTISSIMUN CONSYDERANTUR, LIBRI SEX.   RUEFF, Jacob  -  Tiguri, excudebat Christophorus Fraschoverus, 1554.   

 IN- 4°, PERGAMENA COEVA.  (IV), 105 FF., 1 F. BIANCO.  NUMEROSE FIGURE FINEMENTE INCISE IN LEGNO N.T. DELLE QUALI 7 A PIENA PAGINA RAFFIGURANTI I GENITALI FEMMINILI, UNA SEDIA OSTETRICA E STRUMENTI VARI PER IL PARTO.  A PARTE LIEVI ARROSSATURE DELLA CARTA, DOVUTE A NORMALE PATINA DEL TEMPO, BELL' ESEMPLARE NEL SUO STATO ORIGINALE; ALCUNE SOTTOLINEATURE E NOTE MARGINALI DI MANO D' EPOCA.  PRIMA EDIZIONE PUBBLICATA SIMULTANEAMENTE IN LATINO E IN TEDESCO DALLO STESSO STAMPATORE.  JACOB RUEFF, FAMOSO LITOTOMO NATO NELLA RENANIA, SI STABILÌ A ZURIGO VERSO IL 1525.  NEL 1552 FU NOMINATO MEDICO DI CITTÀ E NEL 1554 PUBBLICÒ LA PRIMA EDIZIONE DEL SUO DE CONCEPTU ET GENERATIONE HOMINIS, UNO DEI PRIMI CLASSICI DELLA LETTERATURA OSTETRICA.  DIVERSAMENTE DAL ROSENGARTEN DI ROSSLIN QUEST' OPERA É BASATA QUASI INTERAMENTE SULLE OSSERVAZIONI DELL' AUTORE.  RUEFF NON SOLO ERA UN ESPERTO CHIRURGO, LITOTOMO ED OSTETRICO, MA SI DISTINSE ANCHE COME ANATOMICO ED EMBRIOLOGO.                         "HIS WORK ORIGINALLY  APPEARED IN BOTH LATIN AND GERMAN VERSIONS AND CONTRASTED FAVORABLY  WITH ITS PREDECESSORS ON THE SAME SUBJECT, BOTH IN THE AMOUNT AND THE ACCURACY OF ITS INFORMATION AND IN ITS ILLUSTRATIONS.  RUEFF'S TEXT  COMPRISED SIX  SECTIONS, OR BOOKS.  THE FIRST DEALS WITH THE PHYSIOLOGY OF IMPREGNATION AND CONCEPTION AND WITH THE DEVELOPMENT AND NUTRITION OF THE FETUS.  THE SECOND DESCRIBES THE UTERUS AND THE CONDITION OF THE FETUS WITHIN IT AND INCLUDES A CHAPTER OF NECESSARY PRECEPTS FOR PREGNANT WOMEN.  BOOK  3 EXPLAINS PARTURITION, WITH RULES AND MEDICAMENTS FOR ALLEVIATING DELAY AND DIFFICULTY OF BIRTH AND FOR THE CARE OF THE MOTHER AND INFANT; IT HAS A CHAPTER ON OBSTETRIC INSTRUMENTS, SUCH AS THE SPECULUM AND BOTH SMOOTH AND TOOTHED FORCEPS FOR EXTRACTION OF A DEAD FETUS, WHICH ARE DISPLAYED IN CLEAR WOODCUTS.  BOOK 4 TEACHES THE MENAGEMENT OF FIFTEN FORMS OF UNNATURAL BIRTH (INCLUDING THE DELIVERY OF AWKWARD PRESENTATIONS AND TWINS), EACH ILLUSTRATED BY TRADITIONAL BIRTH FIGURES IN WHICH THE FETUS LOOKS LIKE A GROWN CHILD, ALTHOUGH THE ARTIST HAS ADDED MORE ANATOMIC DETAIL THAN IS SHOWN IN EARLIER DRAWINGS.  BOOK 5 DISCUSSES FALSE CONCEPTIONS, TUMORS OF THE ETERUS, PHYSICALLY DEFECTIVE INFANTS AND MONSTERS, ABORTION AND ITS TREATMENT, AND THE SIGNS OF CONCEPTION.  BOOK 6 SUGGEST THE CAUSE OF STERILITY AND DESCRIBES THE PRINCIPAL DISEASES OF THE UTERUS, ONCE AGAIN OFFERING PRESCRIPTION FOR APPROPRIATE REMEDIES...  RUEFF'S BOOK KEPT ITS USEFULNESS FOR NEARLY A CENTURY AND WAS OFTEN REPRINTED"  (LEFANU, NOTABLE MEDICAL BOOKS FROM THE LILLY LIBRARY, P. 35).  HIRSCH, BIOGRAPHISHES LEXICON DER HERVORRAGENDEN AERZTE, IV, P. 914.    GARRISON & MORTON, MEDICAL BIBLIOGRAPHY, 453, 6141.     DURLING, SIXTEENTH CENTURY PRINTED BOOKS IN THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE, 3980.     WELLCOME HISTORICAL MEDICAL LIBRARY, CATALOGUE OF PRINTED BOOKS, I, 5611.      SALLANDER, BIBLIOTHECA WALLERIANA, 8301.     NORMAN LIBRARY OF SCIENCE AND MEDICINE, 1856.    REYNOLDS HISTORICAL LIBRARY, 3637.     HELLMAN, A COLLECTION OF OBSTETRICAL BOOKS, 29.     FASBENDER, GESCHICHTE DER GEBURTSHULFE, PP. 122-24.     SIEBOLD, HISTORIE DE L' OBSTETRICIE, II, PP. 3-30.     CUTTER & VIETS, A SHORT  HISTORY OF MIDWIFERY, PP. 44, 188, 90.     CIANFRANI, A SHORT HISTORY OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNECILOGY, PP. 144-45.     NEEDHAM, HISTORY OF EMBRYOLOGY, PP. 111-12. UN CLASSICO DELLA LETTERATURA GINECOLOGICA. Non vendibile all' Estero. Contattare il venditore.