Collins, Systeme of Anatomy, 1685

A Systeme of Anatomy, Treating Of the Body of Man, Beasts, Birds, Fish, Insects, and Plants. Illustrated with many Schemes, Consisting of Variety of Elegant Figures, drawn from the Life, and Engraven in Seventy four Folio Copper-Plates, And After every Part of Man’s Body hath been Anatomically Described, its Diseases, Cases, and Cures are Concisely Exhibited. The First Volume Containing the Parts of the Lowest Apartiment of the Body of Man and other Animals, &c. By Samuel Collins, Doctor in Physick, Physician in Ordinary to His late Majesty of Blessed Memory, and Fellow of the Kings most Famous College of Physicians in London, and formerly a Fellow of the Royal Foundation of Trinity College in the most Flourishing University of Cambridge. In the Savoy, Printed by Thomas Newcomb, 1685. The Second Volume, Containing The Parts of the Middle and Highest Apartiment of Man’s Body (And other Animals) With its Diseases, Cases, and Cures. To which are added in the End Seventy three Schemes, Beautified With many Elegant Figures, fully Explained by Letters and Notes, placed in Pages opposite to the Tables, for the more ready Inspection and clear understanding of the Figures. With a Large Index, Containing the most significant Words, and most Memorable Things of both Volumes. By Samuel Collins Doctor of Physick. Printed by Thomas Newcomb, for the Author, 1685.
 
Two vol in full brown speckled calf with raised bands and red leather title plates, as well as gold decoration, on spines. Hinges cracked but recently repaired. Corners bumped and chipped. Heads and tails of spines chipped (greater on vol I). Scattered additional chipping and scuffing of leather. Mild shelf wear. Marbled page edges.
 
Vol I:
Book plate (Wm Wollascott Esq) on front pastedown. Torn corner of ffep. Spatter of faint stain or mildew on fore-edge of pgs 89/90 partially into text. Rare smaller foci of marginal stains, minute tears and folds, not involving text. Early ink corrections of marginal references on page 278.
 
Vol II:
Two minute white stains on spine and rear board. Fore-edges of front blanks a bit tattered. Occasional marginal fingerprints. One small tear at bottom margin of 851/852, not approaching text. 2 inch closed tear obliquely coursing across fore-edge of 973/974 to focally involve marginal note. 1 inch tear at bottom edge of 1089/1090 involving last two lines of text. 903-906 & 1031-1035 slightly toned. Small focus of worming near the gutter involving the entire index and 3 rear blanks. Last blank sticks out past block but is still bound in tightly.
 
Strikingly bright. Leaves crisp and of a luxuriously thick paper. A few leaves left the printer or binder untrimmed along their bottom or fore edges. Regardless, margins are ample and well-retained--including around the plates, which are also clean and bright. Most corners are free of thumbing. A couple untrimmed corners in vol II folded in to prevent them from sticking out beyond the block. Prior typed dealer’s description loose within vol II.
 
Set in single column, Roman font. Decorative capitals. Text in English with occasional Latin and Greek. Major divisions preceded by dedications to various illustrious individuals (e.g. Lord Cavendish). The preface includes a large diversion into theology. The chapters are arranged by describing a given anatomic system in humans, followed by the homologous systems in other animals, namely beasts (quadrupeds), birds, fish (and elasmobranchs), and insects (all these categories represented by numerous common and exotic species). The chapters deal not only with anatomy, but also physiology, pathology, and therapeutics. Some major divisions also close with doxology. Modern and ancient authorities referenced in the text include Wharton, De Graaf, Bartholin, Harvey, Boyle, Willis, Vesalius, Galen, Hippocrates, and many others.
 
Vol I: 
3 blanks, license, decorative title, frontis of author, title, 8 p epistle, 13 p contents, i - lvi preface, 4 p epistle, 1 - 678 text, 3 blanks.
 
Vol II: 
3 blanks, title, 4 pg dedication, 679 - 1263 text, 2 prayer, 4 p epistle, 8 p preface to tables, title (with textual explanation of table 1 on verso), 73 tables (printed on recto, textual explanations on verso), 26 pp index, 2 blanks.
 
73 plates gathered at the end of volume II. An additional plate, designated Tab 12 (ear), follows page 934 (which closes a chapter on the ear). Thus, complete with all 74 plates, decorative title, and portrait frontis, as called for. A truly admirable copy.
 
The DNB gives the following: Samuel Collins (1618 – 1710) earned his MD at Padua in 1654. He was physician in Ordinary to Charles II. He was Anatomy Reader in 1684 at the College of Physicians. In 1695 he was elected president of the College. He “was an accomplished anatomist, and stood foremost among his contemporaries, whether at home or abroad, in his knowledge of comparative anatomy.” His Systeme of Anatomy was the product of his original investigations and is referenced by Boerhaave and Haller.
 
Cole (History of Comparative Anatomy), though noting that he describes anatomy in more than 115 species, is more critical of Collins than the DNB is. Cole asserts that most of the investigations were not the author’s own but largely Edward Tyson’s or earlier authorities.
 
Cole admits that Haller asserted “that on the anatomy of animals none deserve more praise than Collins.” But Cole iterates that “it is unwise to attribute any discovery to Collins without searching for it in the works of his predecessors.”
 
“He does not agree with Seno that muscle and tendon include but one type of fleshy fibre.... Unhappily, he differs also from Steno when that anatomist is right. Collins, however, is on firmer ground in refusing to believe that muscle contraction is due to “inflation”....
 
“Coming now to Collins’ work on mammals, he gives satisfactory description of the mouth and palatal ridges of the calf, sheep, lion, cat, boar and horse, but his account of the curious stomach of the beaver is taken from Blasius, who in his turn was abstracting Wepfer of 1671.”
 
“Considerable space in the System is devoted to the structure of birds, and the mouth, gut, respiratory system, heart and dorsal surface of the brain are examined in some detail. … This is one of Collins’ best chapters. The descriptions are ample and the figures good, and in some respects he was on the way toward comprehension of the mode of action of the avian gastric mill.”