Advice to Mothers, on the subject of their own Health; and on the means of promoting the Health, Strength, and Beauty, of their Offspring.

BUCHAN, William (1729-1805).

London: T. Cadell and W. Davies, 1803. FIRST EDITION. Octavo, pp.[4]; 419; [1]. Recently re-backed with a cream paper-covered spine using original blue/grey paper-covered boards. Hand-written black ink titles to white label on spine; all edges untrimmed. Large damp stain extending through the first 50 pages of text, with (inactive) mould marks affecting pp.1-20. Black ink ownership inscription to front free endpaper. Boards heavily worn. A good copy of a book rare in any condition. Buchan, a Scottish physician, made a name for himself early in his career with 'Domestic Medicine' (1769), and here produces a remarkably sensible, no-nonsense guide to the health of women and children - a subject he had focused his career upon. Favouring an approach which avoided medicines and invasive treatments wherever possible, Buchan was a staunch advocate of breast-feeding, and despised in particular the use of corsets and cosmetics, concluding in his introduction: 'The woman, therefore, who feels a laudable wish to look well, and to be so in reality, must place no confidence in the silly doctrines, or the decietful arts, of fashion. She must consult nature and reason, and seek for beauty in the temple of health...'. Item #47482

Price: £165.00