Electricity, or Ethereal Fire, Considered : 1st Naturally, as the Agent of Animal and Vegetable Life : 2d. Astronomically, or as the Agent of Gravitation and Motion : 3d Medically, or Its Artificial Use in Diseases. Comprehending Both the Theory and Practice of Medical Electricity; and demonstrated to be an infallible Cure of Fever, Inflammation, and many other diseases: constituting the Best Family Physician ever Extant.
Troy, [NY]: Moffitt & Lyon 1802. First Edition. 285, [3] pages. 12mo. 4 x 6 1/4 inches. Polished calf with black spine label "Electricity" with minor loss. Light wear to the extremities. Minor worming in the gutter base of spine affecting a few letters in the Preface. No flyleafs (as bound??), first page is title, last is last page of index. A sound copy of a book usually found in poor condition. Laid in is an inked note: "Joseph White His Book. I believe Joshua White his han?. I think Febuary 15th AD 1805. Dont steel (sic) tis Book My derest friend for fear the Gales will Be Your end." Written above Joshua White is Ezzy White, and on verso the names Ezzy, John, Joseph, and Jonathan White. Suel (?) White signature and old price on front pastedown. CP Hermance (?) inked at head of title page, dated 1806. Good. Boards. [27520]
The standard references note two different page counts for this work. Copies with 285 pages (as here) include a commentary "Thoughts of the Times" and a printed errata both lacking in the copies with 276 pages.
Wheeler notes "This book is among the first works on electricity printed in America. The author considers electricity to be the main cause of animal and vegetable life." It is the first American work cited by Sidney Licht's scholarly book Therapeutic Electricity and Ultraviolet Radiation. Other references note it is probably the first book on [medical] electricity published in America.
Austin (Early American Medical imprints) #807, Mottelay (Bibliographical History of Electricity and Magnetism), p364, Ekelöf (Catalogue of Books and Papers in Electricity and Magnetism) #719, Wheeler Gift #636 (showing a full page illustration of the title page), Gartrell 734, Honeyman Collection, Vol IV #1391, Rink (Technical Americana), #2061.
Price: $280.00