pdf - Roger Gaskell Rare Books

Inspired by Harvey, Pecquet discovered the thoracic duct in dogs and its
relation to the lacteal vessels (Garrison–Morton 1095). Almost simultaneously
the thoracic duct was discovered by Rudbeck in Sweden and Bartholin in
Denmark, but Pecquet’s work was published Wrst. The three works are treated
together in the Grolier, One Hundred Books Famous in Medicine where Michael
T. Ryan writes: ‘Whether Pecquet or Rudbeck Wrst identiWed the thoracic
duct, or whether Bartholin or Rudbeck Wrst described the lymphatic system,
is Wnally less important than the testimony these disputes over priority give
to the broader consensus across Europe as to the nature and direction of
anatomical and physiological research after Harvey’.
In this second edition Pecquet replied to one of his Wercest critics, Jean
Riolan, who was also the one opponent to have provoked Harvey into a
response. There are also several letters in support of Pecquet, in addition to
those published in the Wrst edition.
Pecquet secures his position with new experiments designed to counter
Riolan’s criticisms, described in ‘De thoracicis lacteis dissertatio’ (pp. 101–
138) and replies point by point to Riolans attack on the 1651 work in ‘Brevis
destructio, sive litura responsionis Riolani ad Experimenta Nova Anatomica’
(pp. 181–246).
The engravings are printed from the plates used by Sebastian and Gabriel
Cramoisy for the Wrst edition published three years earlier.
This is a rather worn and soiled copy, but fascinating for the fact that it is
the new experiments reported in this edition that were most closely studied
by a former owner who acquired the book in 1680, one Pierre Vivien, a
Parisian surgeon. His neat marginal notes summarising the text appear on
many pages of ‘De thoracis lacteis dissertatio’ while the rest of the book is
more lightly annotated.
For the Wrst edition see Garrison–Morton 1095; Grolier, One Hundred Books
Famous in Medicine (1995), no. 28, pp. 109–10.
151
PERNETY, Antoine­Joseph (1716­1801)
Dictionnaire mytho­hermétique, dans lequel on trouve les
allégories fabuleuses des poetes, les métaphores, les énigmes et les
termes barbares des philosophes hermétiques expliqués.
Paris: chez Delalain l’aîné, 1787.
8vo: a8 b4 A–2L8 2M2 , 286 leaves, pp. xxiv 546 [2]. Woodcut
headpieces by Huault on pp. v and 1 and a tailpiece on p. xxiv.
167 x 105mm. Light foxing and browning.
Binding: Contemporary quarter roan over pastepaper boards, vellum
tips. Spine ends chipped, joints cracked, spine very worn.
Provenance: Owner’s or library stamp on title and upper board,
illegible.
Second edition (Wrst 1758). Wellcome IV, p. 338; Blake p. 344.
‘The Dictionnaire... professes to give explanations of all the curious words
used by Paracelsus and other writers, and what is perhaps still more useful