| New Acquisitions IV | Damien Ihrig, MA, MLIS
Curator, John Martin Rare Book Room
 Continuing with our introductions of new acquisitions, this month I present an early Spanish anatomy book from Manuel de Porras. De Porras was a surgeon to King Felipe V (the first of the French Bourbon dynasty to lead Spain) and an instructor of surgery and anatomy.
Felipe instituted many reforms, mostly to reshape the monarchy and consolidate power, but also to improve Spanish science and medicine. This included the importation of ideas and practitioners from universities throughout Europe. De Porras leveraged this knowledge transfer to create his most well-known book, Anatomia Galenico-moderna, an anatomy book for surgeons.
Criticized as, amongst other things, being "unoriginal," de Porras nevertheless was the first to synthesize ancient thinking on anatomy with the latest from the European masters, and write in his native Spanish - not the traditional, but less accessible, Latin or Greek. Anatomia... would increase the accessibility of this knowledge and inspire new Spanish anatomical works throughout the 18th century.
Read more about this classic Spanish medical text below.
This purchase was made possible by the generosity and foresight of Dr. John Martin to support the JMRBR with an acquisitions endowment.
Stay well and happy reading!
Fall Hours
Good news, everyone - the Rare Book Room is now open for researchers, classes, and visitors! The Room is available Monday-Thursday, 8:30-5:00 (U.S. Central) and Friday by appointment. FACE MASKS STRONGLY ENCOURAGED. To guarantee the room is available, please contact me at damien-ihrig@uiowa.edu. | | 
October 6 at 4:00 PM (central) – The John Martin Rare Book Room Presents
“The Power of Necessity” with Kimberly Sprague, MSN, ARNP, CNM
Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UI Carver College of Medicine
https://uiowa.zoom.us/j/91848474468?pwd=aU4ra1ZrVUdpdTIwOWQ3ZlRUcjE1UT09
Celebrate National Midwifery Week with this casual look at the people driven to forward the practice of obstetrics. Sprague explores the recorded studies of the Hardin Library John Martin Rare Book Room collection to uncover the foundation of the profession.
September 30 at 6:00 PM (central) – William Anthony Conservation Lecture
Down the Rabbit Hole: Embracing experience and serendipity in a life of research, binding practice, and publishing
with Peter D. Verheyen
Bookbinder & Conservator; Librarian, Syracuse University Libraries
Verheyen will discuss how he came to discover bookbinding and conservation, and how the relationships he formed and his experiences would intersect to become ongoing and ever-morphing research interests. His bio-/bibliographic work around Ernst Collin and his Pressbengel, his experiments using fish skin in bookbinding, and his investigations into the German binding tradition will illustrate this synergy.
Click here to find out more and to register.
October 13 at 7:00 PM (central) – Iowa Bibliophiles
I Know What You Bought Last Summer: The Stories Behind Your Books
with Patrick Olson
Owner, Patrick Olson Rare Books
Bookseller Patrick Olson will share the stories behind some favorite things that have happened to land at the University of Iowa. Sometimes amusing, always illuminating, his tales will provide a broader picture of the rare book trade and a behind-the-scenes look at how it all works. | | | | DE PORRAS, MANUEL. Anatomia Galenico-moderna / compuesta por el doctor Don Manuel de Porras, cirujano de su magestad, y de los Reales Hospitales de la Corte, y Examinador del Real Protomedicato [Modern Galenic anatomy: composed by Dr. Don Manuel de Porras, surgeon of his majesty, and of the Royal Hospitals of the Court, and Examiner of the Royal College of Physicians]. Printed at the Imprenta de Musica by Bernardo Peralta in 1716. 21 cm tall.
Anatomia... is the first Spanish anatomy book published in the 18th century. It also represents a concerted effort on the part of the new king and the doctors and surgeons of Spain to create medical works in Spanish. This was meant to make these texts more accessible and to burnish the reputation of Spanish medicine as an equal to their European peers.
De Porras's work is also unique in the number of prefaces included in the 1716 printing. The majority of the seven prefaces, all by different authors, spend a considerable effort to defend Spanish medical science from past European critics. They offer Anatomia... as proof that Spain was no longer a scientific and medical backwater.
Regardless, the book was not the most well-received. The book's most vocal critic was Martin Martínez, one of king Felipe's physicians and also an anatomist. Martínez took a great interest in the improvement of medical education and played a major role in establishing the anatomical amphitheater in the general hospital at Madrid. His main complaint about de Porra's work was the nature of the language and vocabulary de Porras employed, given its intended audience - surgeons. He felt the book adequate enough for learned physicians, but too confusing for the more brutal and straightforward work of the surgeon. | | | This complaint highlights the contentious relationship between physicians and surgeons, two very different professions at the time. Among Martínez's several works is his own anatomy book, Anatomia completa del hombre [Complete anatomy of man], which was first published in Madrid in 1728 (we have his second edition, printed in 1745). A comprehensive work, it became a popular text with at least six editions.
Anatomia... contains several engraved illustrations by Matías de Irala Yuso, who also contributed illustrations to Martínez's Anatomia complete del hombre. The illustrations are mostly anatomical, but he does include an engraving of de Porras and another of St. Francis Xavier receiving medical treatment.
The book is in good condition, but with some staining throughout and intermittent evidence of water damage. The cover is a contemporary limp vellum, which has yellowed over time, with shrunken yapp edges (extra animal skin hanging over the text block that has shrunk over time). Fun fact from Assistant Conservator, Beth Stone: there are exposed strips of leather on the outside of the cover, a favorite for pests looking for a snack. These are called "thongs" and they are used to help support the sewing of the text block and attach it to the cover.
We do not have many rules for our visitors, but a big one is no food. This is one of the best ways to keep pests at bay, and our thongs in peak condition.
If you are interested in seeing this or other items mentioned in this or earlier newsletters, please contact Damien Ihrig at damien-ihrig@uiowa.edu or 319-335-9154 to arrange a visit in person or over Zoom. | | | |
