anatomy
De Myristica [Nutmeg]
The spices nutmeg and mace (from the seed and its lacy covering, respectively) come from several species of trees in the genus Myristica indigenous to the Banda Islands in Indonesia – the famous Spice Islands of history and lore. They are the focus of this university dissertation written by Professor Carl Peter Thunberg. In 18th- and 19th-century Europe, professors wrote the dissertations; the student’s job was to explicate and defend it and pay for its publication.
Discours Sur la Structure des Fleurs, Leurs Differences et l'Usage de Leurs Parties....
This short publication by a little-known botanist gave Linnaeus the diagnostic tools and the anatomical terminology for his sexual system of classifying plants. After studying botany under Tournefort at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris, Vaillant (1669-1722) established a herbarium there and showed such talent and dedication that over time he rose through the ranks to become the director.
So-Called Spontaneous Combustion
Spontaneous human combustion describes the burning of a living human body without an external source of ignition. There is speculation and controversy regarding this phenomena. Some regard it as unique and unexplained, while others feel that cases described as spontaneous human combustion can be understood using generally-accepted scientific principles. In this publication, an undated reprint originally published in The New Orleans medical and surgical journal in April 1894, Dr.
Le Cheval
This is a very rare 19th century anatomy book with 16 lithograph plates with movable parts revealing layers of muscles, bone structure, and organs of a horse when a series of flaps are turned. The detailed text on all aspects of the anatomy of several breeds of horses is by veterinarian Eugène Alix. Colored plates along with those with movable parts were created by Édouard Cuyer, painter and anatomist at the National Art Academy at Paris and professor of anatomy at the Rouen Academy of Arts.
