BEAUTIFUL RARE EDITION of Antonio Maria VALSALVA's "Tractatus De Aure Humana" (Treatise on the Human Ear) in TWO volumes and complete. This rare second edition and only 1 year after the first (1740) is the most complete study ever published on the human ear of 1800. VALSALVA (1666-1723) worked on it for more than 16 years dissecting more than 1000 heads, completing in a certain sense the work of the French anatomist Joseph Guichard Duverney (1648-1730) by treating the soft parts and muscles and also developing his own theory of hearing. This second edition is the most complete because it was edited by the famous anatomist Giovanni Battista Morgagni (1682-1771) the father of modern anatomical pathology, also a student of VALSALVA who here grouped all the writings, discoveries, experiments, all their unpublished anatomical letters and published the first biography of VALSALVA. In these TWO volumes there are 13 large format illustrations and 1 in the text. The 'Treatise' is organized into several chapters, the first are anatomical and describe in detail the different parts of the ear; while the last chapters are physiological and explain the functions of these parts. The 1742 third edition is currently selling for $7,409.56; while this 1741 second edition with the same 14 illustrations and text is offered at a fraction of that price. "Antonio Maria VALSALVA's treatise is not only a worthy companion to Duverney's work but far surpasses it in richness of content and in a rare combination of precision and conciseness. The treatise deals with the anatomy and physiology of the organ of hearing and also contains chapters on the pathology of the ear" (Politzer). The anatomist VALSALVA was "without doubt, the most eminent scientist of the transitional period from the 17th to the 18th century" (Politzer) and his specialty was the anatomy of the ear. VALSALVA studied the hearing system throughout his life, coined the term Eustachian tube and he described the aortic sinuses of VALSALVA in his writings, published posthumously in the Morgagni's first edition of 1740. His name is associated with the Valsalva antrum of the ear and the Valsalva maneuver, which is used as a test of circulatory function. Anatomical structures bearing his name are VALSALVA’s muscle and Taeniae Valsalvae. He observed that when weakness of one side of the body is caused by a lesion in the brain, the culprit lesion tends to be on the side opposite (contralateral) to the weak side; this finding is named the "Valsalva doctrine" in his honor. In this edition edited by Morgagni, the modern division into external, middle and internal ear appears for the first time. In the representation of the auricle, he describes for the first time the small sebaceous glands of the cochlea and the anterior extrinsic muscles, tragi and antitragi. In the external ear, he demonstrated the presence of muscles for the movement of the auricle. In the study of the internal ear, he gave a detailed description of the cochlea and the semicircular canals and for the first time described the presence of lymph "Ut Aqua Limpida" inside them, laying the anatomical foundations for the knowledge of the mechanisms that regulate acoustic perception and the perception of balance. He studied the anatomy of the fetus and the newborn; here he noted that the external auditory canal is almost occluded and suggested the possibility of surgically resolving some cases of deafness in adults in which the membrane that covers the eardrum in the newborn persists and which is normally expelled in fragments. Furthermore, during the autopsy of a deaf man he discovered the very cause of deafness: the base of the stapes and the contour formed a single block and the stapes had become immobile. This was the first description of otospongiosis. Currently, the VALSALVA maneuver is used in otorhinolaryngology for the study of tympanometry (the relationship between acoustic impedance and pressure exerted on the eardrum) and is based on the changes in the elasticity of the tympano-ossicular system that occur by varying the pressure in the internal acoustic meatus. Beautiful work with an impressive series of detailed illustrations drawn with great skill. References: Blake, STC of 18th century printed books in the National Library of Medicine, p. 468 (other eds.); Garrison & Morton No. 803; Stevenson & Guthrie, 41; Heirs of Hippocrates 729 (1735 ed. of the aure humana); Norman 2126; Politzer, History of otology, pp. 136-143; Castiglioni, pp. 529-531 (other eds.); Wellcome V, p. 329 (other eds.); Waller (1741 Ed.); Jan van Gijn; Gijselhart Joost P (2010). "[Antonio Maria Valsalva (1666–1723) and his manoeuvre]". Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd (in Dutch). 154. Netherlands: A1803; Jacobs, Nathan; Bossy, Michele; Patel, Amish (May 2018). "The life and work of Antonio Maria Valsalva (1666–1723) – Popping ears and tingling tongues". Journal of the Intensive Care Society. 19 (2): 161–163; Giovanni Battista Morgagni (October 1903). "Founders of Modern Medicine: Giovanni Battista Morgagni. (1682–1771)". Med Library Hist J. 1 (4): 270–7; Jarcho, Saul (1984). The Clinical Consultations of Giambattista Morgagni (1 ed.). Boston: The Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine. Title: Opera. Hoc est tractatus de aure humana...et Dissertationes Anatomicae...(Work. This is a treatise on the human ear...and Anatomical Dissertations). Written by Antonio Maria VALSALVA and edited by Giovanni Battista Morgagni. Published in Venice by Francesco Pitteri (Franciscum Pitteri), MDCCXLI (1741). Text in Latin. Description: in 4to size H 240 x W 190 mm or 9.5 by 7.5 inches. First volume [2], XVIII, 418 [2] pages. Second volume 320 pages. Plus 13 separate folding plates. Text printed well, pages are clean, white with original and wide margins, rare traces of water stains scattered here and there, mostly on white margins, and not affecting text or illustrations which are intact as per photo. Antique hardback binding in good condition, traces of wear and small missing parts on the corners, edges and boards, spine richly decorated, with friezes and title. The engraving work, of great finesse, shows great detail in the illustrations and excellent contrast and sharpness. BEAUTIFUL ILLUSTRATED SECOND EDITION. Author: Antonio Maria VALSALVA (1666-1723), was an Italian anatomist born in Imola. His research focused on the anatomy of the ears. After studies of the liberal arts, he studied medicine and philosophy at the University of Bologna, where he trained under Marcello Malpighi (1628-1694), who was among the first to study microscopic anatomy. Valsalva graduated from medical school in 1687and taught Giovanni Battista Morgagni who edited Valsalva’s complete writings and published a biography on Valsalva, both in 1740. Valsalva both studied and taught in the fields of science, surgery, anatomy, physiology, and psychiatry. At a young age, Valsalva had successfully removed a dog’s kidney. He opposed cauterization in the treatment of wounds, and recommended humanitarian treatment of mentally ill patients. His main interest was the middle and internal ear, including the muscles of the external ear and the pharyngeal muscles. Valsalva named the Eustachian tube and described its function and that of its muscle. He showed the connection between the mastoid cells and the tympanic cavity, and made observations on physiologic and pathologic processes of the ear. The "Tractatus De Aure Humana" published in 1704 contains a description of the Valsalva maneuver and patency test of the auditory tubes. A skilled anatomist, Valsalva conducted many autopsies on deceased patients. Author/Editor: Giovanni Battista Morgagni (1682-1771) was an Italian anatomist, generally regarded as the father of modern anatomical pathology, who taught thousands of medical students from many countries during his 56 years as Professor of Anatomy at the University of Padua. His most significant literary contribution, the monumental five-volume "On the Seats and Causes of Disease" (Latin; De Sedibus et Causis Morborum), embodied a lifetime of experience in anatomical dissection and observation, and established the fundamental principle that most diseases are not vaguely dispersed throughout the body, but originate locally, in specific organs and tissues. Shipping: via UPS, protected, INSURED and fully tracked package. Estimated time for Europe 3-5 working days. Shipping within one working day. You can combine shipping if you purchases several items from us, saving money and time.