De Partibus Generationis Libri Duo quibus omnium & singuloru organorum utriusque sextus, ad generationem concurrentium, structura actiones et usus Item Arantii de Humano Foetu Libellus Item Gregorii Nymmani de Vita Foetus in Utero Dissertatio. 1665

Leiden: Lugduni Batavorum, 1665. 1st Edition. A collective 17th century printing of three notable works related to human generation, sexuality, and reproductive anatomy. de Humano Foetu Libellus is the only 17th century edition of Guilio Cesare Aranzi's important book on the foetus. "Aranzi believed the maternal and foetal circulations to be separate. He described the ductus arteriosus and ductus venosus of the foetus, and the corpora Arantii in the heart valves. Incidentally, he was the first to record a pelvic deformity" (Garrison-Morton 464, citing the first edition of 1564). Aranzi was also the first to delineat the uterus, the foetus, and the placenta in the various stages of development. Aranzi (1530-1589) was a leading anatomist of his time.

Plazzoni's De Partibus Generationis is notable for his detailed description of the sexual organs, their functions, and physiology. Plazzoni investigated the means whereby the penis achieves erection, the function of the clitoris, and the physiology of sexual arousal. Also of note, are Plazzoni's descriptions of perineal tears and rectovaginal fistulae, as well as his account of the vulvovaginal ducts, of which Bartholin was apparently unawarein his classic treatment of them.

Gregor Nymann's work marks the transition from theological to scientific embryology in the 17th century. Nymann proposed that the foetus has a life of its own, and that the lungs and heart are not inactive, having their own pulse. Appended to Nymann's work in this edition is Spigelius's Epistola de Incerto tempore partus, pp. 61-84. "Spigelius made the first observation of the occurrence of milk in female breasts at birth, gave the first denial of the presence of a nerve in the umbilical cord, and abolished the notion that the meconium in the foetal intestines argued for eating in utero on the part of the embryo" (Needham, History of Embryology, pp. 99-100). CONDITION & DETAILS: Leiden: Lugduni Batavorum, 1665. First collected edition. 12mo. 5.25 by 3.25 inches [8], 184 pages; 50; 84. BINDING: Contemporary vellum with some wear to surface. Binding is very tight and sturdy. INTERIOR: Printed general title, and separate titles to the second and third parts. The first few pages of the book are lightly soiled; the contents are a little toned, but overall in very good condition. Images available upon request. $475.