Extremely rare and exceptional wood engravings dating from 1614 of the famous artificial hand of Ambroise Paré, this engraving is taken from a work by Ambroise Paré, this extraordinary doctor and pioneer of Reconstructive Surgery and Prosthetics.

This page comes from the work of Ambroise Paré, it describes these phenomena to the general public for the first time. Magnificent text on the birth of automatons and future robots...

This page with these extraordinary wood engravings was published in 1614 in the famous work of Ambroise Paré, surgeon to the king, originally from Laval "The works of Ambroise Paré with the figures and portraits of both anatomy and instruments of surgery and several monsters” These pages are taken from the 23rd book of the work, “To add what is lacking”

These are undoubtedly the first graphic representations of these phenomena. Extraordinary historical and scientific document. Magnificent wood engraving.

• This document is in 21/32cm format with some foxing, condition see photos, well preserved for a document that is more than 410 years old.

• We only sell authentic documents.

• We accept payment by check

• In case of group purchases we reduce postal costs

• We have many historical documents and engravings to discover in our EBay store. Do not hesitate to subscribe to our profile in order to receive new announcements as a priority.


• Source Wikipedia

• Ambroise Paré, born around 1510 (or 1509 depending on the sources) in Bourg-Hersent, near Laval (Mayenne), and died on December 20, 1590 in Paris, is a French surgeon and anatomist.

Surgeon to the king and the battlefields, Ambroise Paré is often considered the father of modern surgery1. Inventor of numerous instruments, he participated in the improvement and dissemination of a new type of cauterization technique. The widespread use of firearms confronts surgeons with wounds of a new type, which are cauterized with a hot iron or boiling oil at the risk of killing the injured person. Paré developed the ligation of arteries2, which he substituted for cauterization, in amputations.

“Je le pansay, Dieu le guarist”: this modest phrase from Paré is often cited to summarize his philosophy (quote in Middle French meaning: “I bandai him, God heals him. )...

In 1553, he was a prisoner at the siege of Hesdin25 (currently Old Hesdin26 before its destruction by Charles V).

At that time, the Brotherhood of Saint-Côme, which had brought together barber-surgeons since the 13th century, had recently been transformed into a college of surgery. However, surgeons remained under the supervision of doctors and sought to free themselves from it, or at least to limit it. For example, dissections and autopsies were carried out by surgeons, but, in theory, in the presence of a doctor, the only one authorized to write the report. Paré having a great reputation and the support of the king, the college of Saint-Côme decided to join Paré. This is how he received the master's cap27 on December 8, 155428, despite the opposition of the faculty of medicine and his poor knowledge of Latin, although obligatory. The support of the king was the strongest29.

In 1561 and 1562, he published two other works including his Universal Anatomy of the Human Body. On January 1, 1562, Catherine de Medici appointed him first surgeon to King Charles IX. Paré was then sent back to the aid of the armies, first to Rouen, then to Dreux and Le Havre. The religious wars between Catholics and Protestants (Huguenots) resumed with a vengeance, bloodying the country for the next thirty years. From 1564 to 1566, Paré accompanied Charles IX on a visit across France and took the opportunity to uncover new avenues of research. In 1564, he published Ten books of surgery: with the store of instruments necessary for surgery, where we find the first known use of the word bistouri (in fact bistorie, feminine) in the surgical sense30.

The greatest innovation is, for amputations, to ligate the arteries and dress the wound with a mixture of egg yolk, rosate oil and turpentine rather than cauterizing with boiling oil. He swears not to burn the poor wounded again so cruelly. Legend has it that this verbal exchange took place between Charles IX and Ambroise Paré:

“—I really hope that you will treat kings better than the poor?

— No, Sire, it’s impossible.

- And why ?

— Because I take care of the poor like kings...

At that time, the Brotherhood of Saint-Côme, which had brought together barber-surgeons since the 13th century, had recently been transformed into a college of surgery. However, surgeons remained under the supervision of doctors and sought to free themselves from it, or at least to limit it. For example, dissections and autopsies were carried out by surgeons, but, in theory, in the presence of a doctor, the only one authorized to write the report. Paré having a great reputation and the support of the king, the college of Saint-Côme decided to join Paré. This is how he received the master's cap27 on December 8, 155428, despite the opposition of the faculty of medicine and his poor knowledge of Latin, although obligatory. The support of the king was the strongest29. In 1561 and 1562, he publ