Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 953.7

JOHANN KARL WILHELM MӧHSEN (1722-1795) Verzeichnis einer Samlung von Bildnissen, gröstentheils berühmter Aerzte : : so wohl in Kupferstichen, schwarzer Kunst und Holzschnitten, als auch in einigen Handzeichnungen: diesem sind verschiedene Nachrichten und Anmerkungen vorgesesst, die so wohl zur Geschichte der Arzenengelahrtheit, als bornehmlich zur Geschichte der Künste gehören Gedruckt bey Friedrich Wilhelm Birnstiel, Kӧnigl. Privil. Buchdrucker 1771 1st 243 pages, 240 pages. Seven pages (pp. 177-183 in second pagination) printed out of order. 24 cm

One of the most important eighteenth-century scholarly contributions to medical history. This is the first book cited by Garrison-Morton under the heading “Art and Medicine.” Mӧhsen’s book contains the first history of anatomic illustration. Mӧhsen also reviewed the contribution of art to medicine. Choulant concluded that this seminal work “contains very valuable reports on artistic anatomy and the history of anatomic illustration…Very accurate and conscientious research work is characteristic of this book, as of all of Mӧhsen’s works” (Anatomic illustrations, translated by Frank, 351). The bibliography of portraits of physicians contained in this book is the first ever on this topic. Mӧhsen, a Berlin physician, devoted his career to medical history. In addition to work on the medical manuscripts in the Royal Library at Berlin, he wrote books on medical portraits, medical medals, and medical numismatics. Mӧhsen served for a time as the personal physician to Fredrik the Great.

Cited references: Choulant (pg. 351); Cushing M433; Garrison-Morton 6604.90; NLM 18th century (pg. 307); Wellcome IV (pg. 147)

John Martin M.D. Endowment