Anatomy Epitomized and Illustrated:

A later printing of this unusual and attractively illustrated anatomical work, originally published in 1682 by Thomas Gibson (1648/49-1722), physician-general to the Army. Copies of any edition are rare in the trade.

Gibson studied at St. John's College, Cambridge and then at the University of Leiden, and was admitted to the Royal College of Surgeons in July 1676. A Presbyterian, his 'religion and connections to the Cromwell family led to his being removed from the list of fellows of the College of Physicians when the college received a new charter under James II in 1687. After 1688 Gibson was reinstated and on 21 January 1719 he was appointed physician-general to the army' (Oxford Dictionary of National Biography).

Gibson is best known for the present book, which 'he claimed to have been initially reluctant to write. The book is essentially an expanded and updated version of Alexander Read's earlier text, The Manuall of the Anatomy of the Body of Man (several editions from 1638), but it was significantly revised as Gibson explained in his opening address to the reader. In this address, Gibson also felt obliged to defend his decision to write a book like this in the vernacular. Firstly, he said it was appropriate since Read brought out his text in English, but also because doing this would "avoid the injury of a paltry Translator"... It was a best-seller in its day and went through at least six editions by 1703, being expanded several times' (Evans, 'Thomas Gibson's Life and Times', Early Modern Medicine blog, 2017).

Later edition; 4to (19.5 x 12.5); 17 engraved folding plates, contemporary ownership signature on the front free endpaper and initials on the title, a little toning of the margins and occasional spotting, some creasing and closed tears to the plates; contemporary calf, manuscript title label to spine, raised bands, calf dulled and rubbed with some small marks, including an old wax mark on the title which has been written over, corners bumped, very good condition; 182pp.