[SERVETUS, MICHAEL. C.1510-1553.]


WOTTEN, WILLIAM. Reflections Upon Ancient and Modern Learning. London: J. Leake for Peter Buck, 1694. 8vo (194 x 115 mm). Rebacked retaining contemporary paneled calf covers. Dampstaining, library stamps.Provenance: Oriel College Library (stamps, label on front paste-down).WITH: ALLWOERDEN, HEINRICH VON. B. 1703. Historia Michaelis Serveti. Helmstedt: Bucholtz, 1727-1728. 4to (230 x 180 mm). Portrait of Servetus on frontispiece. Contemporary plain boards, paper spine label, untrimmed. Staining to covers, spine label text worn away, browning.Provenance: Leonard Mackall (signature on free front endpaper, marginal notations); G.S.T. Cavanagh (bookplate).Wotton's volume contains what is considered to be the first reference to Servetus's 1553 book Christianiasmi Restitutio. Chapter 18 is devoted to the circulation of the blood, where he discusses Harvey's contribution but writes, "The first that I could ever find that had a distinct idea of this matter [the circulation of the blood] was Michael Servetus, a Spanish physician who was burnt for arianism, at Geneva, near 140 years ago ... in a book of his, entitled 'Christianismi Restitutio,' printed in the year 1553, he clearly asserts that the Blood passes through the lungs from the right to the left ventricle of the heart and not through the partition which divides the two ventricles, as was at that time commonly believed." Von Allwoerden's book is the first to describe Servetus's life and work in detail. This copy includes the additional leaf dated 1728, and the ownership inscription and marginal notes of Leonard Mackall. The portrait frontispiece was discussed by Mackall in 1919: "Osler and Garrison naturally preferred Fritzsch's frontispiece in Allwoerden's 'Historia,' 1728 (not 1727, cf. Mosheim's letter, 1728, at the end of most copies)" (L. Mackall. Servetus Notes. In: Contributions to Medical and Biological Research Dedicated to Sir William Osler. New York 1919). Osler 854 (second title).