Leçons sur la transfusion du sang. Inscribed copy

Roussel, Joseph (1837-1901). Leçons sur la transfusion directe du sang. [4], 86, 8, [2]pp. Numerous text illustrations. Paris: Asselin et Houzean, 1885. 215 x 139 mm. Original printed wrappers, spine chipped and with some losses, small tear in front wrapper, signatures a bit loose. Very good. Presentation Copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title to Dr. de Santi: "à M. le Dr. de Santi l'un des premiers promoteurs de la transfusion hommages reconnaissants de l'auteur Dr. Roussel." Roussel's small circular stamp on the title. First Edition. Roussel, a Swiss military surgeon and entrepreneur, "is credited with being the most ardent advocate of blood transfusion in the late 19th century" (Berner, p. 36). In 1864 he invented a direct-transfusion apparatus which he continued to improve and promote over the next two decades; it included a suction cup to raise the vein of the donor, a cannula for insertion into the recipient's vein, a balloon pump, a stopcock and a tube for transporting tepid water to the insertion site. Roussel claimed that his device would prevent blood from exposure to the air, thus removing the possibility of clotting. The practice of blood transfusion-both human-to-human and animal-to-human-enjoyed a revival in the 1870s, and Roussel traveled throughout Europe and Russia giving public demonstrations of his apparatus, resulting in its adoption by the Russian, Austrian, British and French armies. However, prior to the discovery of blood types in the early 20th century transfusion remained a risky undertaking, and Roussel eventually abandoned the practice in favor of promoting hypodermic injection therapies. Roussel inscribed this copy to Dr. de Santi, co-author with Dziewonski of "De la transfusion du sang en chirurgie d'armée" (1882), a long review of the practice of blood transfusion in military surgery published in vol. 2 of the Revue de chirurgie. De Santi lauded Roussel's direct transfusion device as "l'appareil qui donne aujourd'hui le plus de sécurité pour cette opération" [the instrument that provides at present the greatest security for this operation] (p. 1034), a recommendation that no doubt helped to boost Roussel's sales. In his inscription Roussel called de Santi "one of the premier promoters of blood transfusion." Berner, Strange Blood: The Rise and Fall of Lamb Blood Transfusion in 19th Century Medicine and Beyond (2020), pp. 36-65. De Santi & Dziewonski, "De la transfusion du sang en chirurgie d'armée," Revue de chirurgie 2 (1882): 938-954; 1030-1043. .…