Observations on the structure and functions of the nervous system

Monro, Alexander

Published by William Creech and Joseph Johnson, Edinburgh, 1783

About this Item

Monro, Alexander, secundus (1733-1817). Observations on the structure and functions of the nervous system. [6], [v]-x, 176pp. 50 engraved plates, drawn by Thomas Donaldson, Alexander Battoni and A. Fyfe, and engraved by Donaldson, Battoni and G. Cameron. Plates numbered i-viii, viii*, viii**, ix-xxvi, xxvi*, xxvii-xlvii, on 41 sheets (plates xv, xvi and xviii double-page). Edinburgh: William Creech; London: Joseph Johnson, 1783. 505 x 305mm. (uncut). Half morocco, marbled boards in period style, spine faded and with a few small stains. Front margin of title-leaf repaired affecting one word, minor foxing and toning as in all copies, edges a bit frayed but very good. Presentation Inscription from John F. Fulton (1899-1960) to Henry R. Viets (1890-1969) on front flyleaf: "Henry Viets from John Fulton Christmas 1935." First Edition of Monro secundus's most famous work. Monro's study of the interior and exterior anatomy of the brain includes his description of the "foramen of Monro," the intraventricular foramen between the lateral and third ventricles; the structure had been described earlier by Galen, Leonardo da Vinci, Berengario and other authors, but Monro's description was more detailed (although not completely accurate). The work also contains Monro's first statement of what is now known as the Monro-Kellie hypothesis of intracranial pressure: The cranial compartment is incompressible and its volume is fixed, thus the cranium and its constituents (blood, cerebral spinal fluid and brain tissue) create a state of volume equilibrium, such that any increase in volume of one of the cranial constituents must be compensated by a decrease in volume of another. Monro, the youngest son of Alexander Monro primus, succeeded his father in the chair of anatomy at the University of Edinburgh; he is recognized as "the greatest of the three Monros" (Garrison-Morton). This copy is inscribed by John F. Fulton, noted American physiologist and historian of medicine, to neurologist and fellow bibliophile Henry R. Viets (see Garrison-Morton.com 9535, 10333). Clarke & O'Malley, The Human Brain and Spinal Cord, pp. 174-177. Garrison-Morton.com 1385. Norman 1538. .

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Bibliographic Details

• Title: Observations on the structure and functions of the nervous system
• Publisher: William Creech and Joseph Johnson, Edinburgh
• Publication Date: 1783
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition