MIDWIFERY; Its Complications, Diseases, &c. Dedicated to the Members of the Female Class of the British Hygienic & Domestic Medical Society of London, and the Midwives and Mothers of the United Kingdom Skelton, John Senr., L.R.C.P. & L.M. Edin., L.F.P.S. Glas, and L.S.A. Lond Medicine

First Edition. 108 pages. 7 3/8 x 4 3/8 inches. Publisher's pebbled green cloth with gilt titling on the top board and black spine. With seven cuts in the text of the child in the womb. Yellow endpapers. Previous owner's information inked on front flyleaf: "J. W. Sykes, Springfield, Dewsbury, May 27th 1867" Thin cloth spine is starting to separate in a few places. Staining to the boards. Bright and clean internally. Cloth. A book on Midwifery that also acts as an advertising piece, with a sampling of Skelton's preparations with prices found on pp 12-20. Wikipedia labels Skelton as an herbalist. "John Skelton (1805 1880) was born in Holbeton, South Hams, Devon. He recounted how he and his grandfather collected herbs locally for use by his grandmother who he described as the skilful doctress and midwife of the village.In 1848, Skelton moved to Manchester when he was appointed as assistant to Dr Albert Coffin who was an American pioneer of herbal practice and self-help particularly amongst working-class people.[6] Skelton practiced as a herbalist and lectured, but broke with Coffin in 1850 and set up practice in Leeds in 1851. In 1852, his address was 11 East Parade, Leeds where he was listed in White's Directory of 1853 as "botanical doctor."[8] He published two books in Leeds: the Family Medical Adviser (1852) and A Plea for the Botanic Practice of Medicine (1853). The Family Medical Adviser was a guide to the use of medicinal herbs in the acute diseases which were common in nineteenth century Britain. Skelton was influenced by the Thomsonian system of herbal medicine which advocated heating herbs to rid the body of fever. Skelton moved back to London and by 1861 was living at 105 Great Russell Street, on the southern edge of Bloomsbury. He undertook the five year apprenticeship necessary to qualify as a doctor at St Bartholomew's Hospital and, in 1864, he was listed on the Medical Register as John Skelton senior LSA 1863. He had a joint practice in London with his son, Dr John Skelton junior. Both men styled themselves Eclectic practitioners around this time. In the 1860s, Skelton retained connections with Leeds where his practice had been taken over by his son-in-law Richard Bean. He also had connections with Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham. In the 1860s he was involved in moves to improve the status of herbal practitioners through organisations such as the British Medical Reform Society. His textbook, Science and Practice of Medicine (1870), was probably published for use by the Leeds Eclectic School of Medicine. It was reissued by the National Association of Medical Herbalists of Great Britain in 1904. Skelton was a firm believer in self-help in medicine and gave frequent courses of lectures on "medical botany" in London and northern England. His last lecture was in 1878 in Plymouth. In 1870 he had moved back to Plymouth where he lived until he died in 1880." (Wikipedia) A scarce title, with eight copies in OCLC/Worldcat as of this listing.