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The Medical and Franklin Library of Dr. William von Valtier
Lot 25

IAN FLEMING'S COPY.
BIGELOW, HENRY JACOB. 1818-1890.
"Insensibility During Surgical Operations Produced by Inhalation" [in:] The Boston Medical and Surgical Journal, vol. XXXV, no. 16, pp 309-317, November 18, 1846. Boston: David Clapp, 1846.

22 June 2023, 12:00 EDT
New York

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IAN FLEMING'S COPY.

BIGELOW, HENRY JACOB. 1818-1890. "Insensibility During Surgical Operations Produced by Inhalation" [in:] The Boston Medical and Surgical Journal, vol. XXXV, no. 16, pp 309-317, November 18, 1846. Boston: David Clapp, 1846.
25 (of 26) issues of vol. 35 (lacking no. 13, no. 8 never published). 8vo (219 x 135 mm). Bound together in later plain wrappers, with general title page for vol. 35 dated 1847 and index. Occasional spotting and toning. In a custom cloth folding box.
Provenance: Ian Fleming (supralibros on folding case).

ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PUBLICATIONS IN THE HISTORY OF MEDICINE AND SURGERY, in the rare original periodical issue. "The first published announcement of the discovery of surgical anesthesia, the most significant contribution to medicine made in the United States during the nineteenth century" (Norman). Bigelow watched John C. Warren perform the first public demonstration of an operation using ether at the Massachusetts General Hospital on October 16, 1846, with William Morton administering the anesthetic. This original issue is rarer than the offprint of Bigelow's article, which omits seven paragraphs concerning a proposed patent. With provenance from James Bond author and bibliophile Ian Fleming. Garrison-Morton 5651; Norman 232.

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