Le Musée de l'hôpital Saint-Louis. Iconographie des maladies cutanées et syphilitiques avec texte explicatif.

Large folio: [4]-29, 346 pp.; 50 pl. (2 lvs num. in Roman numerals lacking, foxing, some closed tears, several tissue guards glued on the pl.).

Half red shagreen, gilt tooled spine with raised bands (sl. worn).

First edition of this atlas illustrated with the reproduction of casts and commented by Ernest Besnier (inventor of the biopsy), A. Fournier, Tenneson, Hallopeau, Du Castel and Henri Feulard with the aim of highlighting the collection of the museum. The core collection of this museum comes from a series of watercolours representing cutaneous infections realised at the request of Devergie who donated it. Husson added photographs, as well as other watercolours by Brion, but it was Lailler who really enriched it by making a large series of coloured wax castings executed by Baretta (1,800 casts between 1867 and 1894). Given the scope of the collection, the 1st floor of the new St. Louis Hospital built in 1885 was reserved for it. Published in 50 instalments, this atlas (preface dated 1894) made a major contribution to the medicine of the time. Impressive iconography presenting 50 coloured pl. (complete), i.e. close-up boards featuring lupus, herpes, syphilitic cankers, fungus, psoriasis, epithelioma, impetigo, pustular scabies, naevus, tuberculosis, leprosy... Note for example the plate showing the cocaine addict's leg lesions. Also illustrated with 45 engr. or photographs in text.