Rokitansky, Handbuch der pathologischen Anatomie, 1842 – 1846, first ed

Handbuch der speciellen pathologischen Anatomie von Carl Rokitansky, Med. Dr., Custos des k. k. pathol. Museums und a. o. Professor an der Universitat zu Wien. II. Band. Enthaltend: Die Abnormitaten des Respirations-, des Digestions-, des Harn- und Geschlechts-Apparates. Wien, Bei Braumuller & Seidel, [am Graben im Hause der Sparkasse]. 1842. 
 
Handbuch der speciellen pathologischen Anatomie von Carl Rokitansky, Med. Dr., Custos des k. k. pathol. Museums und ord. o. Professor an der Univsersitat zu Wien. I. Band. Enthaltend: Die Abnormitaten des Zellgewebes, der serosen und Schleim-Haute im Allgemeinen, der aussern Haut, des fibrosen, des Knochen-, Muskel-, Gefass- und Nerven-Systems. Wien. Bei Braumuller, & Seidel, (am Graen im House der Sparkasse). 1844. 
 
Handbuch der allgemeinen pathologischen Anatomie von Carl Rokitansky, Med. D. k. k. o. o. Professor und Custos des k. k. Pathologischen Museums an der Universitat zu Wien, mehrerer Gesellschaften Mitgliede. Wien. Bei Braumuller & Seidel. 1846. 
 
Three volumes in original dark red cloth with gold on spines and blind stamped boards. Heads and tails of spines restored at some point. Some scuffing of boards and spines. Marbled page edges. Some creased coroners. New end papers. 19th century owner’s signature on titles. Spines number out of sequence on the two volumes of special pathology. Special pathology vol 1 has its prelims bound at the rear. Mild foxing. Otherwise, clean, bright, and tight throughout. 
 
Vol I (General pathology): New ffep, title - (iv), 572, new rfep. 
Vol II (Special pathology 1): New ffep, title, 882, xiv, errata leaf, new rfep 
Vol III (Special pathology 2): New ffep, title – xiv, errata leaf, 632, new rfep 
 
G-M 2293 & 3618: “Rokitansky (1804 - 1878) ranks with Morgagni as among the greatest of all writers on gross pathology. He is said to have performed over 30,000 autopsies himself. His Handbuch was for many years pre-eminent among its contemporaries. Although Rokitansky embraced more than one false doctrine, he was quick to admit and correct his mistakes. Virchow’s criticism of the first edition of the Handbuch led Rokitansky to re-write it. He foresaw the eventual importance of chemical pathology, at that time non-existent. Vol. 1 of the first edition was published last; vol. 3 was published first. Vol. 3 (1842), p. 313: Rokitansky’s classic description of the pathological picture of acute yellow atrophy of the liver. Rokitansky named the disease; it has also been called “Rokitansky’s disease.” 
 
Heirs 1658: “Rokitansky rightly may be regarded as the finest anatomical pathologist of his age. It was largely through his influence that the Vienna School reblossomed into world prominence. Although he never practiced medicine, his studies and descriptions of structural changes in disease, based on over 30,000 autopsies performed while he was director of Vienna's Pathological Institute, had an enormous impact on clinical medicine. The number of original observations in his Handbuch is staggering. Included here are the first differentiation between lobar and lobular pneumonia, the first pathological account of spondylolisthesis, the first accurate description of acute yellow atrophy of the liver, and the correct classification of patent ductus arteriosis as a congenital lesion. Not without its shortcomings, the work includes Rokitansky's anachronistic humoral disease theory which was criticized by Virchow (see No. 1890 ff.), then professor of anatomy in Berlin. Rokitansky admitted the error and rewrote the entire work. In spite of such theoretical miscalculations, Rokitansky revealed more clearly than any of his predecessors the natural history of disease and its structural manifestations.”