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ANTHONY A. BOWLBY — INJURIES AND DISEASES OF NERVESLondon: J. & A. Churchill, 1889First Edition • Complete with 20 PlatesEarly Peripheral Nerve Surgery & Surgical NeurologyContemporary American Physician Provenance
BOWLBY, Anthony A. Injuries and Diseases of Nerves and Their Surgical Treatment. London: J. & A. Churchill, 1889.
First edition. Octavo. xii, 510 pp., with publisher’s advertisements at rear and 20 plates, each accompanied by its descriptive letterpress leaf. Original maroon publisher’s cloth, gilt-lettered spine.
An attractive first edition of Sir Anthony Alfred Bowlby’s important early work on peripheral nerve injury, disease, and operative treatment—a substantial contribution to the developing fields of neurological surgery and trauma medicine.
Published while Bowlby was Surgical Registrar at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, the work brings together clinical observation, pathological anatomy, nerve degeneration and regeneration, prognosis, and surgical intervention. The Royal College of Surgeons records it among Bowlby’s principal publications, noting the London 1889 edition and its 20 plates; the Philadelphia edition followed in 1890.
An Early Landmark in Nerve Surgery
Before neurosurgery emerged as an independent specialty, peripheral nerve trauma was principally addressed within general surgery. Bowlby’s monograph is a notable document of that formative period, examining paralysis, traumatic nerve lesions, trophic change, pathological alteration, diagnosis, and surgical management.
The plates are a special feature of the book, including vivid pathological and clinical depictions of the consequences of nerve injury, such as trophic changes affecting skin and nails. They give the volume strong visual as well as historical appeal.
Contemporary American Medical Provenance
The front flyleaf bears the ownership inscription:
M. V. Ransburg, M.D.
Pleasant Lake, Indiana
The front pastedown retains the bookseller ticket of P. Blakiston, Son & Co., Medical Booksellers, Philadelphia. This is an especially appropriate association: Blakiston issued the American edition of Bowlby’s work the following year, in 1890.
Together, the physician’s signature and Philadelphia medical-bookseller ticket give this copy a tangible transatlantic history: a British surgical text entering the American medical trade and passing into the working library of an Indiana physician.
Condition
Very good.
Original maroon cloth remains bright and presentable, with clear gilt spine lettering. Minor bumping and rubbing at spine ends and corners; light shelfwear, a few small surface marks, and a small dark spot to the front board.
Boards securely attached; hinges firm. Small localized area of paper loss at the inner front hinge/gutter, though the binding remains sound.
Interior notably bright and clean, with crisp paper, little toning, and a tight text block. Plates remain attractive. Publisher’s advertisements at rear present.
Please review all photographs carefully, as they form part of the condition description.
An appealing first edition for collectors of neurology, peripheral nerve surgery, trauma surgery, Victorian medicine, pathology, and nineteenth-century medical illustration.
