19th C. Breast Cancer Lithograph Makes Surgery Look Beautiful

by Stephen J. Gertz

A copy of the first edition of the most complete anatomical atlas and arguably the most beautiful of the nineteenth century, Jean Baptiste Marc Bourgery's Traité complet de l’anatomie de l’homme, comprenant la médecine opératoire (1831-1854), is being offered by Christie's-Paris in its Importants Livres  Ancienes, Livres d'Artistes, et Manuscrits sale November 6, 2013.

Amongst the 726 beautifully designed lithographed plates within its sixteen books in eight folio volumes is Fonctionnant sur une tumeur cancéreuse (Operating on a Cancerous Tumor), which depicts a neat and bloodless breast ablation upon a beautiful woman in calm repose as two sets of hands perform the surgery as if the horror was Photoshopped out leaving only the sheen of precision and 19th century state-of-the-art medicine.

How 'bout those clean, well-manicured, bare hands so gracefully intruding into the patient's flesh as if dancing a finger ballet? The two inset images show the successful result of the surgeons' efforts, and the whole presents a procedure sterile of reality if not of pathogens. The blood-curdling screams have been excised for your comfort; surgical anesthesia was in its infancy and ether and chloroform were not yet standard. This is an artistic exercise in medical aesthetics.

Bourgery studied medicine in Paris with René Laennec, inventor of the stethoscope, and Guillaume Dupuytren, the French anatomist and military surgeon who won fame treating Napoleon's hemorrhoids as the imperial proctologist, before Bourgery continued his work his work at Romilly. 

Published over a period of twenty-three years, this atlas was the result of titanic work by Bourgery, who died before the last volume's publication. This huge artistic work was supervised by Nicholas-Henri Jacob (1782-1871), student of Jacques-Louis David. 

"Without issue one of the most beautifully illustrated anatomical and surgical treatises ever published in any language" (Heirs of Hippocrates).

We post this today to remind all that breast cancer needs to be early detected and treated. Despite Bourgery's neat and tidy depiction scrubbed of life and death, breast cancer surgery is not pretty. National Breast Cancer Awareness Month ends tomorrow.

__________

BOURGERY, Jean Baptiste Marc (1797-1849). Traité complet de l’anatomie de l’homme, comprenant la médecine opératoire. Paris: C.-A. Delaunay, 1831-1854. First edition. Sixteen tomes in eight folio volumes (425 x 310 mm). Eight lithographed title pages, 724 plates (of 726, lacks vol. V plate 5 and vol. VII plate 36). Lacks the frontispiece. Some foxing, a few tears. Contemporary half black morocco, smooth spine.

Heirs of Hippocrates 1569. Waller 1342. Wellcome II, p. 214.

__________

Image courtesy of Christie's, with our thanks.
__________
__________

18th C. Mezzotints Provide Moral to Rep. Weiner's Twitter Fiasco

by Stephen J. Gertz

If Congressman Anthony Weiner had, at the very least,  used this:

LADMIRAL, Jan. Brain of an Unborn Child (1738).

...he would not have caused inflammation and molto agita for all concerned in this:

LADMIRAL, Jan. Muscularis mucosae of the intestine (1736).

...by Tweeting this:

LADMIRAL, Jan. Human penis (1741).

• • •

Jan Ladmiral (1698 - 1773) was a pupil and assistant to the great anatomical illustrator Jacob Christoph Le Blon (1670 - 1741). Afterward, Ladmiral, apparently, presumed ownership of Le Blon's secret invention for coloring mezzotint engravings, a process using three different impressions of primary colors (blue, yellow, and red) for one image and thus able to produce different color values without the use of black.

"Ladmiral offered his services in the making of colored anatomical representations to the famous anatomist, Albinus in Leyden. This anatomist put his (Ladmiral's] invention to the test and even permitted him to use two posthumous drawings by Ruysch…" (Choulant and Streeter, History and Bibliography of Anatomic Illustration, p. 267).

Between 1736 and 1741 Ladmiral created six colored mezzotints of anatomical subjects that made his reputation and remain highly regarded as amongst the finest examples ever produced. Three of those mezzotints are seen here. The initial print in the series, Muscularis mucosae of the intestine, from 1736, is a milestone, the first use of color printing in a medical or scientific book.

Of Ladmiral's colored mezzotint of the human intestine's lining, Albinus wrote:

"It happened that that excellent and industrious painter John Ladmiral came to me and offered his services for making pictures colored after life in a sort of short-hand kind of painting. To see what he could do in this line I have had a picture made which I have added to the dissertation…words fail me to express the incredible variety of twisting of these branches, as the artist had rendered it on the plate" (as  cited by Choulant and Streeter).

And, so, too, words failed Rep. Weiner to adequately express the incredible variety of twisting that ultimately had himself and his libido splayed-out and pinned-down as an anatomical specimen laid bare for public dissection in the media theater.

Recent news, however, suggests interesting possibilities. The Congressman is seeking professional help. His problem is generally considered to be intractable and unresponsive to treatment, so it appears that he is in the vanguard for a new modality, one that heralds a golden age in psychotherapy and the potential for a hit reality-TV show that, with an endless supply of qualified participants, promises to run forever: Rehab For Putzes, the Yiddish epithet appropriate whether used in its strict or casual sense.

__________

 

LADMIRAL, Jan and Frederik RUYSCH. Icon Durae Matris in concave Superfice visae, ex capite foetus humani… Leiden: Dirk Haak; Amsterdam: Jacob Graal and Hendrik de Leth, 1738. Quarto. Franklin, Color Printing pp. 41-42. Lanwehr, Color Plates 108. Lilly 101. Wellcome II, p. 428.

[LADMIRAL, Jan]. ALBINI, Bernardi Siegfried. Dissertatio de arteriis et venis intestinorum hominis. Leiden: Dirk Haak; Amsterdam: Jacob Graal and Hendrik de Leth, 1736. Quarto. Franklin, Color Printing pp. 41-42. Lanwehr, Color Plates 3. Lilly 101. Wellcome I, p. 26.

LADMIRAL, Jan. Effigies penis humani. Leiden: Cornelis Haak; Amsterdam: Jacob Graal and Hendrik de Leth, 1741. Quarto. Franklin, Color Printing pp. 41-42. Lanwehr, Color Plates 109. Lilly 101. Wellcome II, p. 428.

__________

Mezzotint images courtesy of Asher Rare Books/Antiquariat Forum. Title pages courtesy of University of Iowa Digital Library. Our thanks to both.

__________

View Ladmiral's other three extraordinary anatomical mezzotints here.
__________
__________

Have a "Fontastic" New Year!

We here at Booktryst are always on the lookout for the interests of our readers…

By Linda Hedrick

Are you ready to commence with your new year resolutions?  Eager to show the world the new you?  Perhaps you need some help with expressing the metamorphosis you are going through on your way to your stellar 2011 self.  If so, we can help with an area you probably haven’t had time to consider yet – a new font.  A font that personalizes your every communication.  One that screams your name at first sight.  Consider some of these:

For illustrating the bare bones of your conceptions, this font is for you.  This isn’t your pirate’s crossbones or your dog's favorite treats, but the anatomist’s dream.  Each letter is a work of art on its own.  Designed by Bjorn Johansson of Stockholm, he calls this font Typeface Anatomy. Anatomy is an apt choice for book lovers when you consider that the vocabulary of books shares many words with the vocabulary of the body, i.e. spine, foot, back, joints...

Inspired by the capitals of the Baskerville Old Face font, Anthon Beeke fashioned his letters from nude women.  The Naked Ladies Alphabet is from the 1970s, but will never be dated as long as the human form remains the same.  Published by De Jong & Co. printers in 1970, this alphabet still retains its popularity.  (Click on link above for the "making of" video.)  Perchance this embodies the spirit you wish to exhibit.

Arjan Benning is a photographer who designed his alphabet using human skin and clothespins.  Using these fonts can readily express the pain of writing if the words are just not flowing for you.  No need to know exactly what parts of skin are used for each letter, anyone can feel the discomfort just by looking at them.  Perfect for any painful communications you must undertake, or just letting everyone know the skinny.

Perhaps you enjoy the thought of expressing yourself through body imagery, but prefer something flirtier, and more feminine.  "Speak to me only with thine eyes," you are thinking.  Well, we can help you express yourself that way as well.  Painstakingly created with false eyelashes, Amitis Pahlevan's Eyelash Font is the one for you!  Now you can give them an eyeful in a stylish manner.

If you are a fashionista you are probably looking for a font bodily connected but showing your keen sense of how to dress it.  Dutch designer Yvette Yang has created a collage-based font she calls Fashion Font.  Updating it twice a year, each set also functions as a fashion archive.  This font is a shoe-in for fashion devotees.

So, maybe you want something along the fashion lines, but more masculine...something that gets down to the basics.  No fear, we have something that reflects the inner you but still protects your privacy:  the Jockstrap-font by Pier Gustafson may be just for you!  Mr. Gustafson would be happy to design any type of missive you may wish to send out.  Wedding invitations, anyone?

Wait!  Maybe you are not interested in anything to do with the body. Possibly room decor is your thing. Lucky for you we can help you with that interest as well.  The Butler Bros Furniture Font may couch your ideas with the right framework.

All right, maybe we are missing the mark entirely.  You want something authoritative, magisterial, official, let's say presidential.  The 44th President by Insigne is just the ticket.  Like President Obama this font slants slightly to the left, and was designed using some of his handwritten notes.  If you choose to buy this font (samples here), proceeds will go to charity.  Unlike its namesake, this font won't reverse itself.

If your new year's resolutions include living a greener lifestyle, we have a font that could map your unclouded brainstorms.  Rhett Dashwood's Google Maps Typography was designed using aerials shots from - you guessed it - Google Maps.  Each letter is an actual place found within the state of Victoria, Australia.  Click on each letter below his alphabet on his website to see the actual Google Map and its exact location.

Ah, but we have something as well for the foodies among us.  Dip the fruits of your mental labors into caramel.  The Karamel Sans CE font was designed by Marta Maštálková, who was awarded The Outstanding Student Design by the Design Centre of the Czech Republic in 2006 for this font.  It was created by pouring warm, viscous caramel onto glass in the shape of letters.  Sweet!  Perfect for oozing those sweet nothings. 

We hope that we have assisted you with making your plans for the new year.  Whatever your choice might be, we here at Booktryst wish you a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2011!

__________

Images courtesy of their respective websites.  Top image courtesy of Kathy Barbro.

__________

__________

The Good Old (Bad Old) Days Of Health Care

By Nancy Mattoon

Hans von Gersdorff.
Feldtbüch der Wundartzney.
Strassburg: Durch Joannem Schott, [1517].
(All Images Courtesy of Lilly Library, Indiana University.)
This is the first image of an amputation ever printed.

The latest struggle over health care reform in the United States has made some nostalgic for "the good old days" of medicine. Remember when the trusted family doctor, the same one who delivered you, made house calls and looked after the health of your family from cradle to grave? Neither do I. Realistically, the only way that scenario ever played out was due to the high mortality rate during childbirth, and the frequent untimely deaths of young people from contagious diseases, infections, and unsanitary conditions.

Jakob Rüff.
De Conceptu et Generatione Hominis ...
Zurich: Christophorus Froschouerus, 1554.
Ruff was responsible for the training and licensing of all midwives in Zurich.

At least in terms of medical science, we are fortunate to be living in the 21st century. A look back at rare books from the 16th and 17th centuries, courtesy of Indiana University's Lilly Library, makes two things abundantly clear. It was a time of some of the greatest medical discoveries in history, including the first understanding of the circulation of the blood, and it was a time you are very lucky NOT to have experienced firsthand as a patient.

Johannes Scultetus.
Wund Artzneyisches Zeüg–Haüsz ...
Frankfurt: In Verlegung Johann Gerlins ...
Buchhändlers in Ulm,
Gedruckt bey Johann Gerlin, 1666.
Torture or surgery? You be the judge...

Until the usage of ether, in the 1840's, surgical anesthesia was truly a hit or miss proposition. Mandrake, henbane, devil's trumpet, and thorn-apple were all used as herbal anesthesia, but the problem here was not enough meant excruciating pain during the operation, but too much meant freedom from pain entirely, forever... So the next time you're getting a tooth pulled or drilled, be thankful that most of the pain will be masked, and you'll probably live to tell the tale, too. And that's the tip of the pain iceberg--think about undergoing abdominal surgery while fully alert--or don't.

George Bartisch.
Ophthalmodouleia, das ist Augendienst ...
[Dresden: Matthes Stöckel], 1583.
This illustration shows off the latest tools of the opthalmology trade.

Many of the great medical advances of the 17th century came about as a result of plant, animal, and human dissection and vivisection. As an exhibit of the Lilly Library's first rate collection of historical medical texts tells us, "Anatomia Animata is a phrase used at the time referring to vivisection...but it also conveys the sense of animation that can be seen in many of the striking images of anatomical and medical books on display." Many of these images are classically beautiful, but just as many look like they came straight out of the latest torture porn fest. (Thankfully without the latest cinematic visual "advances" a la Saw 3D-The Final Chapter.)

Gaspare Tagliacozzi.
De Curtorum Chirurgia per Insitionem: Libri Duo ...
Venice: Apud Gasparem Bindonum Iuniorem, 1597.
A nose job, 16th century style. From the first plastic surgery book ever printed.

Another thing those longing for the old days of the family physician would do well to remember is that for centuries the actual "hands on" of medical care was deemed beneath the dignity of a physician. University trained doctors would study texts, perform experiments and dissections, and document findings, but the actual surgeries, deliveries, and applications of treatments were handled by barbers, midwives, and apothecaries. Something to think about before you make a stink about that Physician's Assistant or Nurse-Practitioner taking care of your ailment rather than an M.D.

Thomas Bartholin.
Acta Medica et Philosophica Hafniensia.
Copenhagen: Sumptibus Petri Haubold, 1673–[80].
The "baby" in David Lynch's Eraserhead, only 300 years earlier.

And at least our physicians now have a general understanding of how the human body functions. They no longer believe women's ovaries are "female testicles" that manufacture sperm, or that conception came about when sperm combined with menstrual blood, or that lustful thoughts during intercourse created monstrously deformed offspring. (And you thought your Gynecologist was judgmental!)

Giulio Cesare Casseri.
De Vocis Auditusque Organis Historia Anatomica ...
Ferrara: Excudebat Victorius Baldinus, [1600–1601].
Does the title page show some of the Casseri's less fortunate patients?

Whatever improvements are still needed in our medical care, we've come a long way in the last 400 years. Four centuries from now--if mankind is still here on earth-- our technologies and treatments today will certainly appear barbaric and backward. But for now, compared to any other time, the industrialized world is in a medical golden age. We all know, at least in the United States, health care could be a lot better. But looking backward brings home the fact that in the "good old days," things were a lot worse.