Buffon

La Statique des végétaux et l'analyse de l'air avec Haemastatique ou La Statique des animaux • Vegetable Staticks and the Analysis of Air with Haemastaticks or the Staticks of Animals

1735 · ref. 74286 — Paris & Genève Geneva: Chez Debure l'aînéChez les héritiers Cramer et Frères Philibert 1735. Fine. Chez Debure l'aîné Chez les héritiers Cramer et Frères Philibert Paris • & Genève Geneva 1735 et 1744 19 x 25 cm 2 ouvrages reliés en un volume First edition of the French translation of these two texts by Stephen Hales. The translation of the first work originally entitled Vegetable Staticks published in 1727 is the first text published by Buffon. The translation of the second work originally issued under the title Haemastaticks in 1733 is by François Boissier de Sauvages. Our copy is complete with its 20 engraved figures on 10 folding plates for the first text and its folding plate at the end for the second. Contemporary full speckled blond sheep spine in five raised bands richly decorated with gilt compartments rolls and fleurons with a havana morocco title label marbled endpapers all edges speckled red. Headcap and two corners skilfully restored. A few leaves slightly browned. Rare French first editions of these two texts by Hales founder of modern experimental physiology. The Statique des végétaux describes one hundred and twenty-four experiments on plant physiology. Buffon precedes it with an important “préface du traducteur” in which he praises not only Hales “Je ne connais rien de mieux dans son genre et le genre par lui-même est excellent.” but above all scientific experiment emblematic of the emergence of modern science: “Amassons-donc toujours des expériences et éloignons nous s'il est possible de tout esprit de système du moins jusqu'à ce que nous soyons instruits . c'est cette méthode que mon auteur a suivie ; c'est celle du grand Newton ; c'est celle que Messieurs de Verulam Galilée Boyle Sthall Stahl ont recommandée et embrassée c'est celle que l'Académie des Sciences s'est fait une loi d'adopter .” The plates executed with great finesse depict the machines devised notably his famous water apparatus and the processes used by Hales to demonstrate the circulation of sap and the production of gases in the plants he studied. The second treatise following the research of William Harvey and Marcello Malpighi deals with blood circulation. It is in this work that Hales recounts his experiment on arterial pressure using one of his inventions a precursor of the sphygmomanometer. Chez Debure l'aînéChez les héritiers Cramer et Frères Philibert hardcover