ITEM DETAILS

Wien: Joh. Georg Eblen von Mokle 1799. Hard Cover. 314, [6] pages. Contemporary ¾ calf over paper boards (rubbed with minor soiling). Gilt decorated spine is nearly perished, with portions of both labels remaining, and several chips missing, the largest ¾ inch at the base of the spine panel. Joints split, front hinge coming loose. Corners worn. Bright and clean internally, with colorful endpapers. Albert, et al note that Plenck (Joseph Jacob, Ritter von, 1738-1807) was born in Vienna, received his M.D. there and taught surgery and ophthalmology at the Universities of Tyrnau and Budapest before returning to Vienna as professor of chemistry and botany at Joeseph's Academy. He was "renowned as an anatomist, surgeon, obstetrician, and ophthalmologist, [writing] important textbooks on a number of medical specialties". (p 265). His best known work is Doctrina de morbis oculorum first published in Vienna in 1777. Becker (299) quotes Hirschberg who notes this work was "perhaps the first useful compendium which contains the achievements of the renaissance of ophthalmolog in the eighteenth century and presents them to the student and physician in an easily accessible and understandable way" (p. 96). The copy presented here is a German translation of a Latin edition of this work. Albert, et al notes the second German edition was published in Wien in 1788, but this specific edition is not noted in Albert or Becker. The National Library of Medicine copy notes the 1799 edition is a reissue of the 1788 edition with a new title page. A scarce edition, with OCLC/Worldcat noting only 1 example of this printing as of this writing at the National Library of Medicine (NLM). Garrison Morton 5835, Becker 299 (referring to the first edition of 1777), Sourcebook of Ophthalmology 1820 (referring to the second German edition of 1788). Good.

[Book #17209]