ID 1236285
Lot 55 | Tractatus de corde. Item De Motu & Colore Sanguinis et Chyli in eum Transitu
Estimate value
$ 6 000 – 8 000
First edition, second issue in a contemporary binding of "the most important contribution to circulatory physiology after William Harvey’s De motu cordis" and the first account of blood transfusion (Grolier Medicine). Cornish by birth, Richard Lower became an associate of Thomas Willis and, along with Richard Hooke and Robert Boyle, spent the Interregnum performing experimental research at Oxford. His work and observations on the heart, lungs, and blood—including techniques for blood transfusion—are recorded in the present publication, which effectively completes Harvey's work on the heart.
It contains the first description of the heart as a muscle and the heartbeat as a muscular contraction. Lower was a pioneering experimental physiologist, and also described here is the series of experiments performed with Robert Hooke by which he demonstrated that the color of arterial blood is due to its contact with "fresh air” in the lungs. "Lower’s book received praise from British and Continental physicians and scientists and helped establish its author’s reputation as the leading investigator, after William Harvey, of the anatomy and physiology of the circulation of the blood" (Grolier Medicine).
This copy has leaf A6 in its cancelled state, replaced by the cancellans in which Lower mollifies his criticism of Edmund O’Meara, who had attacked his mentor and friend, Willis. In the cancellandum Meara is described as "outstanding for his exceptional stupidity and impudence." There have been only four copies of the uncancelled issue for sale at auction in the last century. Norman 1397; Grolier Medicine 34; Garrison and Morton 761; Grolier Medicine 34; Krivatsky 7157; PMM 149; Wing L-3310.
Octavo (164 x 106mm). 7 engraved folding plates (occasional small spots and stains, a few plates just shaved at plate mark). Contemporary French calf gilt with arms of Pierre-Daniel Huet, red sprinkled edges (neatly rebacked preserving original spine and endpapers). Custom box. Provenance: Pierre-Daniel Huet, 1630-1721, Bishop of Avranches, mathematician, scholar and editor of Delphin Classics (bookplate, shelfmark, and inscription noting gift in 1692 to:) – Paris Jesuits (printed slip).
Artist: | Richard Lower (1631 - 1691) |
---|
Artist: | Richard Lower (1631 - 1691) |
---|
Address of auction |
CHRISTIE'S 8 King Street, St. James's SW1Y 6QT London United Kingdom | |
---|---|---|
Preview |
| |
Phone | +44 (0)20 7839 9060 | |
Buyer Premium | see on Website | |
Conditions of purchase | Conditions of purchase |
More from Creator
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.