Der Swangern Frauwen und Hebammen Rosegarten.

The earliest printed textbook for midwives. It underwent over 100 editions, being used as late as 1730. The first edition was published in Strassburg by Martin Flach in 1513. This was demonstrated most recently by Lawrence I. Longo in his entry on Rösslin's work in Haskell Norman's One hundred books famous in medicine (1995) No. 13. Based upon the research of Benzing, Longo also described and illustrated two undated issues of Rösslin's work which previously had been assigned to 1513. Because it was thought for a long time that three issues appeared the same year, there was some confusion among bibliographers as to which, if any, could be shown to be first. However, Benzing convincingly assigned one of the undated issues to circa 1515 and the other to circa 1518. Georg Klein, Eucharius Rösslin's 'Rosengarten' gedruckt im Jahre 1513 reprinted in facsimile (Munich, 1910) the undated edition, now assigned to circa 1515 issued in Hagenau by Heinrich Gran. This was titled Der Swangern frawen und hebammē rosengartē. Klein also issued "Zur Bio-und Bibliographie Rösslins und seines 'Rosengartens', Archiv für Geschichte der Medizin 3 (1910). The third variant, now assigned to 1518, was issued in Cologne by Arnt von Aich, but with the title Der swangeren Frawen und Hebammen Rosegarten.

Other studies include Sir D’Arcy Power’s article in The Library, 1927, 4 ser. 8, 1-37, subsequently reprinted in book form, and A.M. Hellman, A collection of early obstetrical books… including 25 editions of Roesslin’s Rosengarten (New Haven: Privately printed, 1952). In 1956 Josef Benzing of Mainz published "Zu den ersten Ausgaben des 'Rosengartens' von Eucharius Rösslin," Das Antiquariat, Wien, 12, Nr.5/6, 57-58. This remains the best critical analysis of the three earliest editions of Rösslin in German.

Rösslin's German text was translated into English by Wendy Arons as When midwifery became the male physician's province. The sixteenth century handbook The Rose Garden for Pregnant Women and Midwives, Newly Englished. Jefferson, NC & London: McFarland & Co., Inc., 1984.

For the background to Rösslin's book see Monica H. Green, "The sources of Eucharius Rösslin's 'Rosegarden for pregnant women and midwives (1513)", Medical History, 53, 167-192, available from PubMedCentral at this link.