The birth of man-kinde; othervvise named, The womans booke. Set forth inEnglish by Thomas Raynald physitian, and by him corrected and augmented. The contents are in the table following, but chiefly in the prologue.
London: Printed [by Robert Barker, Bernard Alsop, and Thomas Fawcet] for A. H[ebb] and are to be sold by Iohn Morret, at the two Tuns in little Britaine, 1634. Nine full page woodcut illustrations woodcuts on pp. 83-87(comprised of 9 anatomical images) and 107-110, (comprising an image of the Birthing Stoole and 18 images of the foetus in the womb). This copy is bound in period calf boards, rebacked in modern morocco with spine label, spine tooled in gilt. STC (2nd ed.), 21164; ESTC,; s116051;Krivatsy 908; Waller 8102; cf. Heirs of Hippocrates (160 edition) 115], Power; 1634 J. Richards, ‘Reading and Hearing The Womans Booke in Early Modern England’, Bulletin of the History of Medicine, 89 (2015). Quarto, 18.5x14.5 cm. Signatures: A⁴ B-O⁸.[Errors in paging: 162, 169-171 repeated] "Barker printed quire A and Alsop and Fawcet the rest"--STC. Nine full page woodcut illustrations woodcuts on pp. 83-87(comprised of 9 anatomical images) and 107-110, (comprising an image of the Birthing Stoole and 18 images of the foetus in the womb) ‘the earliest obstetrical illustrations printed from wood blocks’, with ‘the four woodcuts of the egg membranes and the placenta being later taken from Vesalius’ “Fabrica” (Heirs of Hippocrates). This copy is bound in period calf boards, rebacked in modern morocco with spine label, spine tooled in gilt. Item #884
Based on a translation by Richard Jonas of a Latin edition of: Eucharius Rößlin Der swangern Frawen und hebammen Rosegarten. Rößlin's Rosengarten borrowed heavily from Muscio's fifth-century CEGenecia and there is reason to believe that Muscio's treatise heavily borrowed or is an outright copy of the first-century work of the Greek physician Soranus. Between 1540 and 1654, The Byrth of Mankynde was a huge commercial success. Offering information onfertility, pregnancy, birth, and infant care, and written in a chatty, colloquial style, it influenced most other literary works of the period bearing on sex, reproduction, and childcare.
In 1545 a 'corrected and augmented' edition was published under Raynalde's who was the printer/publisher and thenceforth the book is refered to under his own name. Little is known about Raynalde, but his considerable additions made the book twice as long as the original translation. He borrowed freely from other authors, including anatomical illustrations and descriptions from Andreas Vesalius' influential 1543 work De corporis humani fabrica.
The text Is organized in a very useable form with a detailed table (index). Followed by a Prologue to the women readers written " succinctly and in a few words" , and promises to be to have utility and and profit.
The first book describes the female anatomy, illustrated with the woodcuts .
The second book discusses types of birth (natural, unnatural, difficult, painful), Medicines to make women's labour 'tolerable' to great pain an ointment "take the oil of white Lillies Duck grease with Saffron and musk " A plaster to provoke birth , and miscarriage, 'untimely birth' and stillborn babies)
The third book examines The "signs and tokens of a good nurse" how to take care of a newborn, including breastfeeding and the most common illnesses, e.g., colic, cough, blisters, swelling of the eyes, the navel or the body more generally, worms, epilepsy and squint eyes.
And the fourth book is devoted to conception, causes and remedies for sterility, as well as remedies to beautify men and women (e.g., conceal freckles, eliminate warts and bad breath, smooth the skin, keep one's teeth clean).
Price: $11,500.00