Descriptio Anatomica Oculi Humani, Iconibus Illustrata Zinn, Johann Gottfried Anatomy,Biology,Medicine,Science

An important 18th-century anatomical treatise on the structure of the human eye by Johann Gottfried Zinn (1727â "1759), a pioneering German anatomist and botanist. Zinnâ s meticulous dissection-based studies laid the foundation for modern ophthalmologyâ "his name survives in anatomy through the â Zonule of Zinnâ (ciliary zonule). This second, revised and expanded edition (editio altera), edited by Heinrich August Wrisberg, includes additional plates and a supplementary section expanding Zinnâ s original text with new discoveries. The work contains folding copperplate engravings depicting the ocular anatomy in exquisite detail: muscles, nerves, and vascular systems surrounding the eye. Each plate is sharply impressed, labeled, and shows the extraordinary precision of Gà ttingenâ s 18th-century scientific engraving. A landmark of anatomical illustration and a key moment in the history of vision science, Descriptio Anatomica Oculi Humani exemplifies Enlightenment-era medical precision. Zinnâ s observations predate modern optical theory yet establish a remarkably accurate depiction of ocular structure. The engraved plates, some signed â Schmidt sc. Brunsv.,â demonstrate both artistic finesse and scientific accuracy. The volume opens with a dedication to William Hunter (1718â "1783), the famed Scottish anatomist, acknowledging the shared European advancement of anatomy. BOOK DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION REPORT 4to (215 x 171 mm). Condition: Good plus. Boards worn with rubbing to corners and spine ends, joints partially cracked but holding. Textblock generally clean with light foxing, minor browning, and scattered marginal toning. Plates crisp and well-preserved, some mild offsetting from plates. Marbled endpapers intact. REFERENCES: 'The first complete study of the anatomy of the eye, including the first description of the 'zonule of Zinn' and the 'annulus of Zinn'." Garrison and Morton. "I find no essential difference between this second and the first edition, not even in the figures." Hirschberg 463. "The illustrations in this work, engraved by Joel Paul Kaltenhofer, mark a new plateau in the graphic representation of the eye, for it becomes, in the modem sense, recognizable both 'in situ' in the orbit and enucleated." Becker Collection. "Zinn's masterpiece, and the first complete anatomy of the eye. Written long before it was possible to examine the interior of the living eye, the descriptions of the ciliary body, the iris, and the ocular blood vessels and nerves are remarkable for the precision and thoroughness. With seven copperplates, containing a total of twenty-seven illustrations; in many, the structures ax magnified." Albert & Edwards, The history of ophthalmology, p. 256. "Important book on the anatomy of the eye which is a fundamental work in the history of ophthalmology." Eimas 966, (zur Erstausgabe von 1755). Blake, NUVf, p. 499; Garrison and Morton 1484 (1st Ed.); Gorin, History of Ophthalmology, pp. 16, 60-61; Heirs of Hippocrates 966 (1st Ed.); Hirsch, VI, p. 375; Hirschberg, V, pp. 28-34; Lesky 731; Hagelin I, 117; Osler 4298 (1780); Waller 10493 (1st Ed.). Wellcome V, 490. PROVENANCE: The marbled endpapers and the 18thâ "19th century ex-libris of Dr. Eugà ne Olivier, a French physician, add appealing provenance and historical depth. Eugà ne Olivier (17 September 1881 in Paris â " 5 May 1964) was a French fencer, physician and university professor. He was a member of the French à pà e team and became an Olympic à pà e champion at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. Eugà ne Olivier was a Doctor of Science and Associate Professor of Anatomy. His father was also a physician. It was in his first year of non-resident medical studentship at the Hà pital Saint-Louis (1901) that Eugà ne Olivier started to acquire a grounding in surgery and anesthesia, under the supervision of professor Louis Ombrà danne. He later on became deputy director of the Paris Faculty of Medicine