Gabriele Falloppio, 1564

FALLOPPIO, Gabriele (1522-1562). De medicatis aquis, atque de fossilibus. Venice: Giordano Ziletti, 1564.

First edition of Falloppio's lectures on fossils and medicinal springs. These texts were collected and edited by Falloppio's student Andrea Marcolino from lectures given in 1556 and 1557. An intriguing group of geological observations from the great Paduan anatomist, who discusses the origins and chemical composition of springs, the nature of the generation of heat within the earth, and the mystery of the composition of fossils.

Falloppio "would have been well aware of organic resemblances in whatever fossils he was familiar with; yet he felt that their occurrence on hilltops far from the sea made their organic origin unacceptable. It would have entailed changes in geography that were literally incredible, even with an Aristotelian view of continuous terrestrial change; and an explanation in terms of spontaneous generation therefore seemed preferable" (Rudwick). Adams F137; Durling 1431; Duveen Balneology 512; Ward and Carozzi (another issue) 772; Wellcome 2150; see M.J.S. Rudwick, The Meaning of Fossils.

Quarto (205 x 151mm). Woodcut printer's device and woodcut diagram of distilling apparatus (a little marginal dampstaining at front). Contemporary limp vellum wrapper with yapp edges, old inventory label on upper board (spine neatly reinforced, lacking rear pastedown). Provenance: contemporary manuscript marginalia to first part; Mario Cermenati, 1868-1924, Italian geologist who taught geology and paleontology at the University of Rome and founded the Museum of Lecco (ownership stamp).