ADAMS, William.

On the Reparative Process in Human Tendons after subcutaneous division for the cure of deformities; with an account of the appearances presented in fifteen post-mortem examinations in the human subject; also a series of experiments on rabbits, and a résumé of the English and foreign literature of the subject…

London: John Churchill,... .1860

8vo, pp. xi, 175, (1), and 8 plates (1 woodcut, and 7 lithographed by West after drawings by Adams and G.H. Ford) with 7 leaves of explanation, + 32 pages of Churchill’s adverts dated June 1865 inserted at the end. Half-title. Original brown cloth, uncut, two modern bookplates. Ends of spine and tips of corners worn, joints a little chipped, but a very good copy.

FIRST EDITION. A classic book on the behaviour of tendons and their repair after division. “There now followed a continuous series of works which sought to establish the finer anatomical effects of tenotomy. Of all these works only one may be singled out, namely the monograph of William Adams (1820–1900), because, beside experiments on animals (rats), the healing process could be studied in a continuous series, even in humans. During his time at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in London, Adams was able to obtain preparations from 15 patients who had died over periods from 4 days to 3 years after tenotomy, from unrelated causes. He came to the following conclusion, that the tendon sheath is of great importance in maintaining the direct connection between the tendon ends, and that the sheath contains the matrix for the new tendon and determines its ultimate form” (translated from Valentin, Geschichte der Orthopädie, p. 106). See also Keith, Menders of the maimed, pp. 73–74.

£450.00

In stock

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