An account of the Library of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia 1788-1906.

  • Charles Perry Fisher
Date:
[1906]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: An account of the Library of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia 1788-1906. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

    12/14 (page 10)
    Exchange of publications is now made with 19 foreign universities, and between 1000 and 1500 dissertations received each year—1433 for the year 1906. The entire Library is catalogued with tlie exception of unbound pamphlets and dissertations: the pamphlets are classified the same as the books of the Library and arranged alphabetically by author under each class; the dis- sertations are arranged according to schools, then alphabetically by authors under the year. 103,883 cards have been revised, type-written and arranged in four sixty-drawer tray cases; about one-half of the work of the “Revision of the Catalogue” is completed. This work is considered one of the finest examples of type-written card indexes in existence. The Library of the College of Physicians contains treasures enough for their description to fill a good-sized printed volume, and a very interesting volume it would be. A few facts only can be stated here: There are 123 books printed before the year 1500, known as “Incunabula;” all rare; but a few of them are of such intere.st that their titles are given: Valastus de Tarenta (Valescus de Taranta)—Tractatus de epidimia et pestc. Argentorati, M. Flach [circa 1470]. [This is believed to be the first medical book printed.] Simon Genuensis. Synonyma. Milan, 1473. [First edition of the first medical dictionary, and the earliest dated book in the Library of the College.] Benevenuti Gra.ssi. De oculis eorumque egritudinibus et curis feliciter incipit. [Ferrariee, 1474.] [First edition of the first book printed on diseases of the eye.] Dioscorides. De materia medica. Colle, 1478. [Said to be the first book printed at Colle.] Isaac. TracUitus de particularibus diretis. Padua, 1487. [First edition of the first book printed on diet.] Bagellardus. De infantium regritudinibus et remedis. Patavii, 1487. [The second edition of the first book printed on diseases of children. First edition was 1472.] Bernard de Gordon. Fleur de lys en mddecine. Lyon, 1495. [An ex- ceedingly rare book. The first and only edition in French in the fifteenth century.] Johannes Peyligk. Philosophise naturalis. Liptzensi, 1499. [The first book published with anatomical plates of Individual organs. These plates of organs were copied from the 1498 edition of Mundinus.] The following are the titles of a few noted books issued after the year 1500: Champerius. Index librorum in hoc volumine contentorum; Symphoriani Champerii libelli duo. Primus de medicinse Claris scriptoribus in quinque partibus tractatus. [Lugduni, 1.506.] [The first edition of the first medical biography,-also bibliography, published.] Joh. Ketham. Fascicule di medecina vulgare. Venetia, 1508. [Only