EROTOMANIA or A treatise discoursing of the essence, causes, symptomes, prognosticks, and cure of love, or Erotiqve melancholy. Written by Iames Ferrand Dr. of Physick by Ferrand, Jacques Ferrand, medecin - 1640

Oxford: by L. Lichfield to be sold by Edward Forrest, 1640, 1640. First Edition in English. This copy is neatly bound in 19th century calf with a gilt spine. it is quite a lovely copy. This book is filled with details chosen on account of the personal motives and life ex- perience of the author. A close reading of Ferrand's treatise (in particular a careful comparison of the two editions) reveals that he had to deal with criticism from both the religious establishment (the Catholic Church) and the academic establishment (his colleagues in the Paris medical faculty) "Climate, diet and physical activity (three of the six "non-natural IMG_0893causes") were the main elements controlling an individual's health8. However, a reading of descriptions of the lifestyle which is most likely to lead to being infected by love melancholy makes it clear that the disease was characteristic of a specific social class. Wine, white bread, eggs, rich meats (especially white meat and stuffed poultry), nuts and most sweets were thought to be prob- lematic. Aphrodisiac foods such as honey, exotic fruits, cakes and sweet wines were considered to be extremely dangerous. SMALL OCTAVO (5 3/4 x 3 5/8″). a-b⁸ c⁴ A-Z⁸.. Translated from the French by Edmund Chilmead.