At an advanced age, and no longer active as a physician, dalla Croce was anxious to write a comprehensive treatise on surgery that could be used for training future surgeons. On display is the first edition of this work, published in Latin. Overall, the treatise perfectly reflects the humanist spirit of compiling all available knowledge on the subject of surgery, including the lessons from Greek medicine. Each of the seven books is richly illustrated with woodcuts depicting surgical operations and instruments. For centuries, this manual became indispensable since surgery was not formally taught as part of the medical curriculum. Subsequent editions received the title Chirurgia Universalis, which emphasizes the ambitious scope of the project.
Giovanni Andrea dalla Croce
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Chirurgiae Ioannis Andreae a Crvce ... libri septem, quamplurimis instrumentorum imaginibus arti chirurgicae opportunis suis locis exornati, theoricam, practicam, ac uerissimam experientiam continentes Venice: Jordanus Zilettus, 1573 The Lewis Stephen Pilcher Collection