Fabricius von Hilden, Wilhelm. 1560-1634.

[De ingenti Mola, & utero peritonaeo adnato].

[Switzerland, W. Fabricius von Hilden after 12 July 1606].

LIFE-SIZE INK DRAWING OF A UTERINE TUMOR (c. 380 x 420 mm.; sheet 395 x 465 mm.). completed in brown and gray wash and 25 lines of manuscript text in brown ink on a full sheet and a half sheet of thick paper glued together.

Folded twice (two top blank corners cut at the bias, three tears partly affecting the drawing (two clumsily repaired with tape), smaller tears along the top and lower edges).

            CALLED THE FATHER OF GERMAN SURGERY, Fabricius von Hilden removed this uterine tumor from Debora Barel during her autopsy on 12 July 1606. Surrounding the drawing, his text documents Barel’s symptoms, her fear of being pregnant with a monster and his own postmortem observations.
            Hilden sent this drawing and his case report to Swiss physician Jakob Zwinger (1569-1610). Hilden’s text was first printed as Observation LV in his posthumous Opera (1646), where the image is referenced but not reproduced. In good condition, from the collection of Basle anatomist Gerhard Wolf-Heidegger (1910-86).

Item #12140

Price: $9,800.00