An anatomical account of the elephant accidentally burnt in Dublin, on Friday, June 17. in the year 1681. Sent in a letter to Sir Will. Petty … Together with a realation of new anatomical observations in the eyes of animals; communicated in another letter to … R. Boyle. 2 Bände in 1 Band. Mit 2 gefalteten Kupfertafeln. London, Smith, 1682. 72 S., 2 Bl. 20,5 x 15 cm. Ganzmaroquinband (um 1950) im Stil der Zeit mit rotem Rückenschild und goldgeprägten Deckelfileten (Kapital leicht bestoßen). [*]
Seltene erste Ausgabe. – Allan Mullen (1653/4-1690) war Mitglied des “College of Physicians” in Irland und angesehener Anatom. – “Unfortunately, on the night of Friday the 17th of June 1681, things went disastrously wrong for his zoological enterprise. At approximately three in the morning the wooden booth caught fire and was quickly enveloped by flames. The elephant, trapped inside, was over come by the fire and smoke. News of the elephant’s death soon drew a large crowd of onlookers, many of whom had not been able to see the living animal due to the high admission price. It was a motley crew and things soon got out of hand. As the flames died down many of the onlookers rushed forward and attempted to carry parts of the dead animal away. The manager, Mr. Wilkins, became alarmed as he realized there was still money to be made out of the unfortunate animal. Ever the businessman, he intended to put the elephants skeleton’s on display and he couldn’t afford to lose any of its corpse. He quickly sent for a troop of musketeers who were ordered to guard the dead animal by force arms. Work was also started on a shed to cover the elephant’s body and this was completed by 7 o’clock on the Friday evening. Wilkins then assembled a team of butchers to deflesh the elephant’s corpse. These were just about to commence work when Dr. Mullen arrived at 8pm. Mullen, who was a graduate of Trinity College Dublin and a member of The Royal Society, had a keen interest in anatomy. Unsurprisingly he wanted to carry out a far more clinical dissection of the dead animal and he requested Mr. Wilkins to wait until a proper team was assembled. However, this appeal fell on deaf ears. The elephant’s corpse was beginning to stink and Wilkins feared that the Lord Mayor would order its removal as the newly built shed was located very close to the Custom House and City Council Chambers. In addition, he was worried about how much longer the ‘rabble’ assembled outside could be held at bay. Wilkins would allow Mullen to oversee the work, but it had to commence immediately. Thus by candlelight Dublin’s very first elephant dissection began. A team of local butchers slowly took the animal apart under the watchful eyes of the doctor. Mullen studiously recorded the impromptu dissection and his observations were published the following year.” (Landstown, Petty correspondence, 1928, 95, 97). – Titel gebräunt und etwas angerändert, teilweise leicht fleckig.
First edition. – 2 vols. in 1 vol. With 2 fold. engr. plates. Later full morocco, gilt. – Title page browned and with some fraying, minor staining in places.
An anatomical account of the elephant accidentally burnt in Dublin, on Friday, June 17. in the year 1681. Sent in a letter to Sir Will. Petty … Together with a realation of new anatomical observations in the eyes of animals; communicated in another letter to … R. Boyle. 2 Bände in 1 Band. Mit 2 gefalteten Kupfertafeln. London, Smith, 1682. 72 S., 2 Bl. 20,5 x 15 cm. Ganzmaroquinband (um 1950) im Stil der Zeit mit rotem Rückenschild und goldgeprägten Deckelfileten (Kapital leicht bestoßen). [*]
Seltene erste Ausgabe. – Allan Mullen (1653/4-1690) war Mitglied des “College of Physicians” in Irland und angesehener Anatom. – “Unfortunately, on the night of Friday the 17th of June 1681, things went disastrously wrong for his zoological enterprise. At approximately three in the morning the wooden booth caught fire and was quickly enveloped by flames. The elephant, trapped inside, was over come by the fire and smoke. News of the elephant’s death soon drew a large crowd of onlookers, many of whom had not been able to see the living animal due to the high admission price. It was a motley crew and things soon got out of hand. As the flames died down many of the onlookers rushed forward and attempted to carry parts of the dead animal away. The manager, Mr. Wilkins, became alarmed as he realized there was still money to be made out of the unfortunate animal. Ever the businessman, he intended to put the elephants skeleton’s on display and he couldn’t afford to lose any of its corpse. He quickly sent for a troop of musketeers who were ordered to guard the dead animal by force arms. Work was also started on a shed to cover the elephant’s body and this was completed by 7 o’clock on the Friday evening. Wilkins then assembled a team of butchers to deflesh the elephant’s corpse. These were just about to commence work when Dr. Mullen arrived at 8pm. Mullen, who was a graduate of Trinity College Dublin and a member of The Royal Society, had a keen interest in anatomy. Unsurprisingly he wanted to carry out a far more clinical dissection of the dead animal and he requested Mr. Wilkins to wait until a proper team was assembled. However, this appeal fell on deaf ears. The elephant’s corpse was beginning to stink and Wilkins feared that the Lord Mayor would order its removal as the newly built shed was located very close to the Custom House and City Council Chambers. In addition, he was worried about how much longer the ‘rabble’ assembled outside could be held at bay. Wilkins would allow Mullen to oversee the work, but it had to commence immediately. Thus by candlelight Dublin’s very first elephant dissection began. A team of local butchers slowly took the animal apart under the watchful eyes of the doctor. Mullen studiously recorded the impromptu dissection and his observations were published the following year.” (Landstown, Petty correspondence, 1928, 95, 97). – Titel gebräunt und etwas angerändert, teilweise leicht fleckig.
First edition. – 2 vols. in 1 vol. With 2 fold. engr. plates. Later full morocco, gilt. – Title page browned and with some fraying, minor staining in places.
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