ORFILA, Mathieu-Joseph Bonaventure (1787-1853). Elemens de Chimie Medicale. Paris: Crochard, 1817.

2 volumes, 8vo (196 x 123 mm). 14 copper-engraved plates. (Some staining, some spotting, a few tears mostly marginal.) 19th-century vellum-cornered boards, red morocco lettering-pieces gilt, edges lightly speckled red (rebacked preserving endpapers and old lettering-pieces, corners bumped, some overall light wear).

FIRST EDITION of this scarce work by Spanish-born French toxicologist and Chemist Orfila, the founder of toxicology. His research provided clear evidence that toxins can be found in parenchyma and organic liquids, and he worked to make chemical analysis a routine part of forensic medicine. He studied asphyxiation, the decomposition of bodies, exhumation, and developed tests to identify the presence of blood in forensic contexts, and is credited as having been one of the first people to utilize the microscope to analyze blood and semen stains. Not only was he appointed physician to Louis XVIII in 1816, he was also a member of the French Academy of Science, and the recipient of the First Prize in Chemistry and Physics from the University of Valencia.

Selections from the Property of Dr. Eugene Vigil, Antiquariat Botanicum

ORFILA, Mathieu-Joseph Bonaventure (1787-1853). Elemens de Chimie Medicale. Paris: Crochard, 1817.