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235 x 145 mm. (9 1/4 x 5 3/4"). xvii, [1], 568 pp. Publisher's gray paper boards, flat spine with printed paper label, leaves untrimmed. WITH TWO ENGRAVED PLATES, one folding. Early ink ownership inscription of Jas. McKee on title page. Wellcome III, p. 462; Garrison-Morton 3587 (5th Edition); Heirs of Hippocrates 822 (Second Edition). Spine and boards a bit darkened, covers with a hint of soiling, occasional light foxing, a few closed tears (not affecting text), other trivial defects, but AN EXTREMELY FINE COPY, the insubstantial binding with nothing approaching a significant defect, and the text remarkably bright, clean, and fresh. Still in its original boards and in lovely condition, this extensive treatise on the causes and treatment of hernias was written by an English surgeon known as a radical precursor of Darwinian attitudes towards the nature and development of man. One of our author's earliest publications when it was first issued in 1807 as "A Treatise on Hernia," the present work won a prize at the Royal College of Surgeons. According to Heirs of Hippocrates, William Lawrence (1783-1867) "contributed significantly to the understanding and management of ruptures," and his "Treatise" "remained for many years the standard work on the subject." Lawrence crossed swords with both the Church of England and the medical establishment with several lectures and publications that espoused his materialist views, applauded France and the United States for their commitment to free scientific thought, and even dared to question Old Testament narratives regarding the origins of man. DNB tells us that "Throughout the nineteenth century . . . he was often regarded as a martyr for the cause of science and of intellectual liberty. His lectures were even cited as precursors for such later works of scientific naturalism as Charles Darwin's 'Descent of Man' (1871) and Thomas Huxley's 'Man's Place in Nature' (1863)." Various editions of the present work can be found on the market, but it would be difficult to find one in better contemporary condition than ours.
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