A Mechanical Account of Poisons in Several Essays.

Fourth edition, corrected, xlviii, 320pp., 4 engraved plates (one folding), water tidemark to front endpaers, title and advert leaf, rest of text unaffected, contemporary calf, head and foot of spine chipped, title added in gilt MS to spine. ìRichard Mead (1673-1754) was an eminent London physician. He trained on the continent and graduated from Padua University and then set up his medical practice in the house where he was born in Stepney, London. He was an early proponent of smallpox inoculation and was appointed physician to King George II. Using a surprisingly modern approach in his research methods, he performed numerous experiments in his leisure time, including tests with viper venom which lead to his book on poisons. A Mechanical Account of Poisons, describes their effects on the body in accordance with the precepts of the Iatrophysical School, which claimed that all physiologic and pathologic phenomena were the result of the laws of physics. The book established his reputation and he went to a lengthy and successful career.îóDr. Charles Hoffman, Library of the History of Medical Science.