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Essential knowledge for midwives

RÜFF (or RUEFF, RUOFF), Jacob.
't Boeck van de vroet-wyfs. In 't welcke men mach leeren alle heymelijckheden van de vrouwen, en in wat ghestalte de mensche in sijn moeders lichaem ontfanghen, groeyet, en geboren wort. Voorts hoe alderleye sieckten, die de kraem-vrouwen lichtelijck over komen, met kostelijcke medecijnen mogen voor-komen en genesen worden. Daer by gevoeght is een profijtelijcke leeringe, van het voesteren en handelen van de nieuw-geborene kinderen.  Overgeset uyt den Hoogduytsche in onse Nederlandtsche spraecke, door Martyn Everaert.

With large woodcut on title, showing the activities around a new born child and a woman in bed, and 33 woodcut illustrations in text, several full-page.

With large woodcut on title, showing the activities around a new born child and a woman in bed, and 33 woodcut illustrations in text, several full-page.

With large woodcut on title, showing the activities around a new born child and a woman in bed, and 33 woodcut illustrations in text, several full-page.

With large woodcut on title, showing the activities around a new born child and a woman in bed, and 33 woodcut illustrations in text, several full-page.

With large woodcut on title, showing the activities around a new born child and a woman in bed, and 33 woodcut illustrations in text, several full-page.



Amsterdam, Jan Jacobsz Bouman, 1668. 4to. Modern vellum. With large woodcut on title, showing the activities around a new born child and a woman in bed, and 33 woodcut illustrations in text, several full-page. (68) lvs. (=A-R4).

Rare edition of a classic manual for midwives discussing all aspects of womanhood, childbirth and care for the newborn by Jacob Rüff, or Rueff (ca. 1500-1558). This Dutch edition is translated from German by Marten Everart. The present work is an overview of late seventeenth-century knowledge on childbirth and the development of the human embryo, illustrated with several large explanatory woodcuts (most likely by Jobst Amman), i.a. 'cross-sections' of the whomb with the fetus in different positions. They also show all surgical instruments used at childbirth at the time. It is the 'improved version of Rosslin's 'Swangern frawen' and contains the first true anatomical pictures in an obstetrics book' (Garrison on the first edition of 1554).  Rüff, a lapidary and surgeon, won great fame as an obstetrician, and 'he described the smooth-edged forceps for delivery of a live baby preceding Chamberlen' (Garrison). In the ''Vijfde boeck' several cases (24 paragraphs) of anomalies of birth (miscarriages) are treated, i.a. conjoined twins (cf. ll. 39-41). Also a chapter is devoted to infertility, its causes and cures(cf. ll. 50-58).
The work was first published at Zürich by C. Froschover in 1554 titled: 'Ein schön lustig Trostbüchli von den empfengknussen und geburten der Menschen' and was adapted into Latin by the medical author Wolfgang Haller in 1554 titled: 'De conceptu et generatione hominis... insuper'. The first Dutch translation was published in 1591. The present edition contains a preface by Sigmund Feyerabend, who published the Latin edition of 1580 with woodcuts by Jobst Amman. In The Netherlands the book became very popular, especially with the Dutch midwives, and many editions followed.
Rüff was a friend of Konrad Gessner, and in1552 he was appointed the town's pysician at Zürich. He wrote a number of books on medicine and astronomy, popular prognostications, and some plays.

Good copy.- (Some sl. traces of use; title with sm. tears; few stains).
Bibl.Belg. R 55; Krivatsy 10018; B.M.N. I, pp. 334-335 (other editions); Garrrison-Morton 6141 (first ed. of 1554); Parkinson 2104-2105 (Latin and English ed.); Wellcome 5611-5616 (Latin, German, English, and other Dutch eds.); Bibliotheca Walleriana, 8301-8305, 8307-8309 (Latin, German, English and other Dutch eds.). 

Related Subjects: Medicine  Medicine & Anatomy & Physiology  Obstetrics  Popular Books  Woodcuts 

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