FORDYCE, George. Elements of the Practice of Physic, in two parts. bound with DENMAN, Thomas. Essay on Puerperal Fever. Johnson and Payne/J. Walter 1770, 1768./1773.
8vo. 3 vols in one. Nineteenth century full brown calf, gilt fillets to sides, spine with raised bands and red morocco gilt lettering piece; pp. 64; 136; 40; Denman lacks title page, hinges tender, previous owner's bookplate to front pastedown, very good.
First edition of first part of Fordyce, second edition of second part; second edition of Denman. Scarce. Fordyce (1732-1802) was an eminent Scottish physician and eccentric, who always ate the same single meal everyday at four o'clock - a pound and a half of rump steak, plus half a chicken while it was being prepared. Perhaps unsurprisingly he died of gout. This book was used as a textbook for the lectures he gave at the Royal College of Physicians. Thomas Denman (1733-1815) was a specialist in obstetrics who made inducing premature labour in the case of narrow pelvis standard practice in Britain.
Second edition of second part of Fordyce especially scarce, not in BL.
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