Opuscula Medica Citois, François Medicine,Science

A rare first edition of this collected series of medical treatises by François Citois (Latinized as Franciscus Citesius), personal physician to Cardinal Richelieu and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Poitiers. The Opuscula Medica gathers together Citoisâ s observations on various physiological and pathological subjects, ranging from the practice of bloodletting (De Usu Phlebotomiæ) to the treatment of colic, fever, and other disorders of the humors. It also includes accounts of medical marvels drawn from Citoisâ s clinical experience, notably the case of a twelve-year-old girl who survived two years without nourishment, and reflections on the influence of regional climates and temperaments on disease. The textâ s classical Latin style and careful citation of Galenic and humanist sources place it squarely within the learned medical traditions of early-seventeenth-century France. The work is dedicated to Cardinal Richelieuâ "Citoisâ s patron and patientâ "reflecting the close link between medicine and political power under Louis XIII. The volume was printed by the royal printer Sà bastien Cramoisy, whose emblematic device appears on the title page, and it exemplifies the refined typography and scholarly presentation of the Parisian presses of the period. The Opuscula offers valuable insight into the transition between Renaissance Galenism and the emerging empirical methods that would define later French medicine. The manuscript inscriptions â Demarreyâ on the front and rear endpapers may indicate early ownership. Condition & Binding: Contemporary full limp vellum, spine titled in manuscript â Citesii Opera.â Binding shows general age wear, moderate soiling and toning, with some darkening and surface staining to the boards, small splits to joints, and partial lifting at the spine ends. The text block remains solid and unsophisticated, with original endpapers present and visible sewing structure. Interior clean overall, with only scattered foxing, faint dampstaining to margins, and occasional early ink annotations in a neat contemporary hand. A sound, complete example of a 1639 Paris Cramoisy imprint, retaining its original 17th-century vellum binding. Overall- fair to good.