Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 853

CLAUDE NICOLAS LECAT (1700-1768) Traité de la couleur de la peau humaine en général, de celle des nègres en particulier, et de la métamorphose d'une de ces couleurs en l'autre, soit de naissance, soit accidentellement. [n. publ.] 1765 xiv, 191 pp., plate (front.). 19.6 cm.

For more information on this author or work, see number: 851

In the first section of the book, Le Cat discusses the diversity of skin types in the human, the reasons for these differences, and also furnishes an analysis of the skin's structure. In the second section, he explains the reasons for different skin colors. He places special emphasis on the black skin which he likened to the ink of the cuttlefish, believing that the skin's pigmentation came from tufts of pigment bearing nerves in the skin. In the final section, Le Cat describes how skin changes from one color to another. He provides many case histories to illustrate his points and admits that his understanding is not too secure.

Cited references: Wellcome III, p. 468

Gift of John Martin, M.D.