SPALLANZANI, LAZZARO. 1729-1799.


De' fenomeni della circulazione observata nel giro universale de' vasi.... Modena: Societa Tipografica, 1773. 8vo (209 x 135 mm). Woodcut device on title page, 1 engraved plate. Contemporary vellum, red morocco gilt spine label. Front endpaper lacking, minor spotting.Provenance: Myron Prinzmetal (1908-1987), (bookplate).WITH: Dell'azione del cuore ne' vasi sanguigni nuove osservazioni. Modena: Giovanni Montanari, 1768. 8vo (211 x 150 mm). Modern morocco gilt retaining original marbled wrappers. Dampstaining to margins, mild spotting, last 6 leaves trimmed at outer margin.WITH: Memoires sur la respiration traduits en francais d'apres son manuscrit inedit par Jean Senebier. Geneva: J.J. Paschoud, 1803. 8vo (191 x 126 mm). Contemporary calf and plain boards, morocco gilt spine label. Minor wear and soiling, browning throughout.THREE FIRST EDTIONS of the principal works of Lazzaro Spallanzani, a Catholic priest and educator whose contributions to the knowledge of circulation and the development of living organisms may not have been fully appreciated until long after his death. In the first classic monograph here, he outlines his investigations into blood flow and the effects of gravity. The second monograph is an expansion of the first, recording his observations on the effect of the action of the heart on blood flow. His posthumously-published Memoires, translated and assembled by Senebier, demonstrated that Lavoisier's conception of respiration was inaccurate, and laid the groundwork for our modern understanding of respiratory physiology.