North America

1835 CE

#13744

Observations on the influence of religion upon the health and physical welfare of mankind.

Digital facsimile from U.S. National Library of Medicine at this link.

1835 CE

#10108

On the influence of atmosphere and locality; change of air and climate; seasons; food; clothing; bathing; exercise; sleep; corporeal and intellectual pursuits, &c. &c. on human health; constituting elements of hygiéne.

Digital facsimile from the Internet Archive at this link.

1835 CE–1838 CE

#6864

The homoeopathist, or domestic physician. 2 vols.

The first book on domestic homeopathy published in the United States. The names of the medicines are not given, but are referred to by numbers. Digital facsimile from the National Library of Medicine at this link.

1836 CE

#11430

Discoveries in light and vision; with a short memoir containing discoveries in the mental faculties.

The first work on vision written by a woman and published in the United States. Griffith published the work anonymously. "Griffith’s work had its start in print in 1834, when she published two articles on vision…

1836 CE

#3679.7

Guide to sound teeth or a popular treatise on the teeth, illustrating the whole judicious management of these organs from infancy to old age: In which the author will attempt to show that the teeth of all persons which are constitutionally well formed, and who enjoy good health may, by proper management and care, be preserved to the end of life.

An expansion of Shearhashub Spooner's 32-page dissertation, An inaugural dissertation on the pysiology [sic] and diseases of the teeth. Submitted to the examination of John Augustus Smith, M.D, president, and the trus…

1836 CE

#9524

The Indian vegetable family instructer: Containing the names and descriptions of all the most useful herbs and plants that grow in this country, with their medicinal qualities annexed; also, a treatise on many of the lingering diseases to which mankind are subject, ... with a large list of recipes, which have been carefully selected from Indian prescriptions ... Designed for the use of families in the United States.

1836 CE–1840 CE

#326.1

North American herpetology; or, a description of the reptiles inhabiting the United States. 4 vols.

The greatest American book on herpetology, and one of the finest American color plate books on natural history. The fourth volume is particularly rare. Digital facsimile from Biodiversity Heritage Library at this link…

1837 CE

#3441.1

A treatise on the malformations, injuries and diseases of the rectum and anus. Text and atlas.

The first American treatise on colon–rectal surgery.

1837 CE

#13101

An examination of phrenology; in two lectures.

This may be the earliest work incorporating anatomical images that was written in opposition to phrenology. Sewall, a physician from New England, was a founding member of the medical department at Columbian College (n…

1837 CE

#2611.1

Surgical observations on tumours, with cases and operations.

The first North American book on tumors, with 16 hand-colored plates by David Claypoole Johnston (1799-1865).

1837 CE

#10411

The family nurse; or companion of the frugal housewife. Revised by a member of the Massachusetts Medical Society.

Child was was an abolitionist, women's rights activist, Native American rights activist, novelist, journalist, and opponent of American expansionism. Her journals, both fiction and domestic manuals, reached wide audie…

1837 CE

#10107

The medical student; or, aids to the study of medicine. Including a glossary of the terms of the science, and of the mode of prescribing,--bibliographical notices of medical works; the regulations of different medical colleges of the union, &c. &c.

A remarkable survey of medical education in the U.S. at the time, with a thorough analysis of the different medical schools and the courses they offered, and an extensively annotated bibliography of 195 recommended me…

1837 CE

#6865

Wirkungen des Schlangengiftes, zum aerztichen Gebrauche vergleichend zusammengestellt. Mit einer Einleigung über das Studium der homöopathischen Arzneimittellehr.

An early American homeopathic title on The Effects of Snake Poison Comparatively Arranged for Therapeutic Use. Hering assumed an analogy between snake venom and bacterial toxins. He drew his work from provings and tes…

1838 CE

#1739

A treatise on the medical jurisprudence of insanity.

The first authoritative and comprehensive treatise in English on forensic psychiatry. Ray became the most influential American writer on forensic psychiatry in the 19th century. He put the above work through five edit…

1838 CE

#11431

Barn-Yard rhymes; showing what opinions the turkey, the cock, the goose, and the duck, enterain of allopathia, homopathia, electro-galvanism and the animalcule doctrines.

A critique of medical practice and procedures in 80 pages of rhymed couplets voiced by farmyard animals. Mary Griffith, who published these satirical poems anonymously, dedicated the work to the Philadelphia physician…

1838 CE

#10402

Botica general de los remedios esperimentados. Que á beneficio del público se reimprime por su original en Cadiz, en Sonoma, de la alta California: Por M. G. V.

The first medical book printed in California, a small 23-page pamphlet of folk or popular medicine. It was printed by Agustín V. Zamorano, the first printer in Alta California under Mexican rule before the regi…

1839 CE

#13896

An account of the yellow fever which appeared in the city of Galveston, Republic of Texas, in the autumn of 1839, with cases and dissections,

In 1839 Smith treated the victims of a yellow fever epidemic in Galveston while writing reports about the treatment of the disease in the Galveston News. As a result of this experience, he wrote the first treatise on …

1839 CE

#12011

Anatomical, pathological and therapeutic researches on the yellow fever of Gibraltar of 1828, by P. Ch. A. Louis. From observations taken by himself and M. Trousseau as memebers of the French Commission at Gibraltar. Translated from the manuscript by G. C. Shattuck.

The Translator's Introduction begins as follows: "The work now presented to the public has heretofore existed in manuscript only. Circumstances have delayed its publication in France, and some years may yet elapse bef…

1839 CE

#201

Crania Americana; or, A comparative view of the skulls of various aboriginal nations of North and South America. To which is prefixed an essay on the varieties of the human species.

In his day Morton was the most eminent craniologist in the United States. He had a collection of nearly 1,000 skulls. In this work, which described both modern and fossil skulls, Morton described fractures and anthrop…

1839 CE

#2292

Elements of pathological anatomy. 2 vols.

In his day Gross was the most famous surgeon in the U.S.A. He was for a time Professor of General Anatomy, Physiology, and Pathological Anatomy at Cincinnati Medical College and while there published his Elements, the…

1839 CE

#2585

Lectures on the blood, and on the changes which it undergoes during disease: Delivered at the College of France in 1837-8.

Pp. 244-49: Magendie showed that secondary or subsequent injections of egg/albumin caused death in rabbits who had tolerated an initial injection. This was the first experiment in anaphylaxis, though Jenner in 1798 ha…

1839 CE

#9305

Lectures on the science of human life. 2 vols.

The Reverend Sylvester Graham was an American Presbyterian minister and dietary reformer known for his emphasis on vegetarianism, the temperance movement, and eating whole-grain bread. "Around 1829, Graham invented th…

1839 CE

#5471

On dengue; its history, pathology, and treatment.

1839 CE

#3680

The dental art, a practical treatise on dental surgery.

One of the most popular books on the subject ever published. It underwent 13 editions during the next 74 years! Harris was instrumental in founding the first dental college in the world, the Baltimore College of Denta…

1839 CE–1850 CE

#12931

American Library of Dental Science. 10 vols.

This was a series of American editions, and first English translations, of then-standard or classic works, most of which remain classics in dental literature. The volumes were listed by Weinberger (1938) as follows: V…

1840 CE

#8828

Catalogue of skulls of man, and the inferior animals, in the collection of Samuel George Morton.

Numbers 901-929 in Morton's catalogue are "Thirty Skulls of genuine unmixed NEGROES born in Africa. This interesting series series was collected by Don José Rodriguez Cisnerso, M. D. of Havana, in the island of…

1840 CE–1844 CE

#13112

The Birds of America, from drawings made in the United States and their territories. 7 vols.

Audubon created 65 new images for the octavo edition, supplementing the original 435 in the double-elephant folio edition of 1827-1838. The resulting series of 500 chromolithographed plates constituted the most extens…

1840 CE–1856 CE

#2163.1

Statistical report on the sickness and mortality in the Army of the United States. Vol. 1 (1819-1839), Vol. 2 (1839-1855), Vol. 3 (1855-1860).

UNITED STATES. War Dept. Surgeon General's Office

Vol.1 by Thomas Lawson; Vols 2 & 3 by Richard H. Coolidge. Digital facsimiles from the Internet Archive at this link.

1841 CE

#12867

Essay on the importance of regulating the teeth of children before the fourteenth year, or the period of life when the second set of teeth become perfectly developed.

This 11-page pamphlet was the first American work on orthodontics.

1841 CE

#10723

The American vegetable practice, or, a new and improved guide to health: Designed for the use of families. : In six Parts. Part I. Concise view of the human body, with engraved and wood-cut illustrations. Part II. Glance at the old school practice of physic. Part III. Vegetable materia medica, with colored Illustrations. Part IV. Compounds. Part V. Practice of medicine, based upon what are deemed correct physiological and pathological principles. Part VI. Guide for women, containing a simplified treatise on childbirth, with a description of the diseases peculiar to females and infant. 2 vols.

The first American book with chromolithographed illustrations printed in America. The chromolithographed images depict American medicinal plants. Digital facsimile from Google Books at this link.

1841 CE

#13521

The pathology of drunkeness, or the effects of alcoholic drinks with drawings of the drunkard's stomach.

Including four chromolithographed plates by J. H. Hall, Albany, N.Y., this is the earliest illustrated book published in the U.S. on the pathological effects of alcoholism. Digital facsimile from the U.S. National Lib…

1841 CE–1849 CE

#7774

The North American sylva; or, A description of the forest trees of the United States, Canada, and Nova Scotia, considered particularly with respect to their use in the arts, and their introduction into commerce; to which is added a description of the most useful of the European trees. Illustrated by 156 coloured engravings. Translated from the French of F. Andrew Michaux ... With three additional volumes, containing all the forest trees discovered in the Rocky Mountains, the Territory of Oregon, down to the shores of the Pacific and into the confines of California, as well as in various parts of the United States. Illustrated by 122 finely coloured plates. 6 vols.

The first study of all the trees of North America. Digital facsimile of all 6 vols. from the Hathi Trust at this link.

1842 CE

#5855

A treatise on strabismus, with a description of new instruments designed to improve the operation for its cure.

1842 CE

#11260

Homoeópathy, and its kindred delusions; Two lectures delivered before the Boston Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge.

Digital facsimile from the Internet Archive at this link.

1842 CE

#4691

Practice of medicine: A treatise on special pathology and therapeutics. 2 vols.

A case of chronic hereditary chorea in adults (“Huntington’s chorea”, see No. 4699) is described on pp. 312-13 of vol. 2. This is in the form of a letter from one of Dunglison's recently graduated st…

1842 CE

#10064

The history, diagnosis, and treatment of typhoid and of typhus fever: With an essay on the diagnosis of bilious remittent and of yellow fever.

Bartlett's book contains the first complete description of typhoid fever in English. In 1908 Osler wrote, "The chief interest of the work today lies in the remarkably accurate picture which is given of typhoid fever--…

1842 CE

#11693

Travels in Europe and the East, embracing observations made during a tour through Great Britain, Ireland, France, Belgium, Holland, Prussia, Saxony, Bohemia, Austria, Bavaria, Switzerland, Lombardy, Tuscany, the Papal States, the Neapolitan Dominions, Malta, the Islands of the Archipelago, Greece, Egypt, Asia Minor, Turkey, Moldavia, Wallachia, and Hungary in the years 1834, '35, '36, '37, '38, '39, '40, and '41.

Digital facsimile from the Hathi Trust at this link.

1842 CE–1894 CE

#12480

[New York Natural History and Geological Survey.] Natural history of New York. 30 vols.

The New York Natural History and Geological Survey was established by the state legislature in 1836 under the direction of James Ellsworth DeKay. By far the most ambitious scientific project undertaken in the United S…

1843 CE

#10512

A flora of the state of New-York, comprising full descriptions of all the indigenous and naturalized plants hitherto discovered in the state; with remarks on their economical and medicinal properties. 2 vols.

For a long time this was the most comprehensive botany of any U.S. state. Digital facsimile from Biodiversity Heritage Library at this link.

1843 CE

#3446

An experimental and critical inquiry into the nature and treatment of wounds of the intestines.

Reports of a series of experiments upon dogs to determine the best way to treat intestinal wounds. First published in West. J. Med. Surg., 1843. 7, 1-50, [81]-141, [161]-224.

1843 CE

#13612

Memorial. To the Legislature of Massachusetts.

Dorothea Dix played an instrumental role in the founding or expansion of more than 30 hospitals for the treatment of the mentally ill in various U.S. states. This was probably the first of her many publications advoca…

1844 CE

#5598

A treatise on operative surgery.

Pancoast was Professor of Anatomy and Surgery at Jefferson Medical College. He was a fine operator and devised a number of new surgical operations and instruments. This was work contains 80 fine lithographed plates, a…

1844 CE

#8832

Crania Aegyptiaca: or, observations on Egyptian ethnography, derived from anatomy, history and the monuments. From the Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, Vol. IX.

Morton argued that blacks and whites had been racially distinct since the Egyptian First Dynasty and drew the following conclusions, long since debunked: "Conclusions. "1. The valley of the Nile, both in Egypt and in …

1844 CE

#9823

Narrative of the United States Exploring Expedition. During the years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842. 5 vols. plus atlas.

The United States Exploring Expedition was the first United States scientific expedition by sea. Wilkes' six ships ranged from Tierra del Fuego, Chile, and Peru, to Samoa, Fiji, Tahiti, Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand,…

1844 CE

#12895

The anatomy, physiology and pathology of the human teeth; with the most approved methods of treatment; including operations, and the method of making and setting artificial teeth. With thirty plates

Probably the first comprehensive and comprehensively illustrated general treatise on dentistry published in the United States. It is prefaced with a rather comprehensive historical summary. Digital facsimile from Goog…

1844 CE

#10446

The theory and treatment of fevers. Revised and corrected by Ferdinando Stith.

The first medical treatise published in Missouri and the first medical treatise published west of the Mississippi River. "John Sappington provided medical services, was a financial lender, and imported and exported go…

1845 CE

#3991.1

A synopsis of the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of the more common and important diseases of the skin.

First comprehensive American work on dermatology.

1845 CE

#11698

Accidents: Popular directions for their immediate treatment; with observations on poisons and their antidotes.

Digital facsimile from Google Books at this link.

1845 CE

#6711.1

American medical biography…

Biographies of American physicians who died after publication of Thacher (No. 6710). Reprint, New York, Milford House, 1967.

1845 CE

#13761

The origin of life: A popular treatise on the philosophy and physiology of reproduction, in plants and animals, including the details of human generation with a full description of the male and female organs. Illustrated by fine colored engravings on stone.

Digital facsimile of the 20th edition from Google Books at this link.