Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 393

WILHELM FABRICIUS VON HILDEN (1560-1634) Observationum et curationum cheirurgicarum [sic] centuria secunda. Apud Petrum [et] Jacobum Chouët 1611 [32] 432 [10] pp., illus., port. 16.6 cm.

Fabricius was an astute, observant, and careful clinician and his collection of six hundred surgical case histories was a unique and valuable contribution to seventeenth century surgery. His descriptions were brief but complete and included: an account of the patient's condition supplemented by similar case histories from Fabricius' wide experience, the natural history of the disease, the treatment regimen he employed and, when appropriate, the surgical procedure used with a detailed description and illustration of the instruments. In many instances he included follow-up comments on individuals he saw again some years later. His work is also enriched by summaries of similar cases seen by colleagues, with their views on management and treatment. The rarity of the Centurae has caused bibliographers and scholars some difficulty and confusion. Fabricius' observations were actually published in six independent volumes, each containing one hundred case histories. Publication began at Basel in 1606 and continued through 1641 in different cities and with different printers.

See Related Record(s): 394 395 404

Cited references: Garrison-Morton 5570; Waller 2906; Wellcome 2128 (1606 ed., Centuria prima)

Gift of John Martin, M.D.