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The surgeon Thomas Pettigrew (1791–1865) was interested in all aspects of antiquity, and gained fame in London society through his mummy-unwrapping parties. (His History of Egyptian Mummies is also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection.) His interest in the early history of medicine is evidenced by this work, published in 1844, which describes the various forms of superstition which the science of medicine had always attracted since ancient times. Pettigrew considers alchemy and astrology, and the use of talismans, amulets and charms, as well as the history of Egyptian, Greek and Roman medicine, and some modern developments, including 'sympathetical cures' and the rejoining of severed fingers and ears. A chapter is devoted to the belief in the efficacy of the 'royal touch' against the King's Evil (scrofula), and another to the seventeenth-century faith healer Valentine Greatrakes, of whose alleged cures Pettigrew takes a robustly sceptical view.
Having devised an artificial cement in 1817, Louis-Joseph Vicat (1786–1861) sought to share and further the science surrounding calcareous cements. His son, Joseph Vicat, went on to found the eponymous company which became an international manufacturer of cement. This work was first published in French in 1828 and is reissued here in the English translation of 1837. Vicat addresses the subject of limes, the ingredients used to prepare mortars and cements, and how these building materials are affected by environmental conditions, such as immersion in water or exposure to damp soil and inclement weather. He also compares binding products of the time with those developed by the ancient Egyptians, Romans and Greeks. The translator, J. T. Smith, provides helpful explanatory notes and clarifies technical terms. Charles William Pasley's Observations on Limes, Calcareous Cements, Mortars, Stuccos, and Concrete (1838) is also reissued in this series.
The French pharmacist Nicolas Jean-Baptiste Gaston Guibourt (1790–1867) first published this work in two volumes in 1820. It provided methodical descriptions of mineral, plant and animal substances. In the following years, Guibourt became a member of the Académie nationale de médicine and a professor at the École de pharmacie in Paris. Pharmaceutical knowledge also progressed considerably as new methods and classifications emerged. For this revised and enlarged four-volume fourth edition, published between 1849 and 1851, Guibourt followed the principles of modern scientific classification. For each substance, he describes the general properties as well as their medicinal or poisonous effects. Illustrated throughout, Volume 3 (1850) continues to describe plant substances, drawing on the systems of Linnaeus, Jussieu and de Candolle. The volume covers the last two classes of dicotyledons.
Although devoted to his parish, Leonard Jenyns (1800–93) combined his clerical duties with keen research into natural history. Notably, he was offered the place on the Beagle that later went to Charles Darwin. His numerous works include A Manual of British Vertebrate Animals (1835) and Observations in Meteorology (1858), both of which are reissued in this series. First published in 1846, the present work was originally intended as a companion volume to Gilbert White's acclaimed Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne (1789), which Jenyns had copied out as a student at Eton. The product of two decades of meticulous observation of Jenyns' surroundings in eastern England, the text includes journal entries with careful records on a wide variety of wildlife, including quadrupeds, birds, reptiles, fish, insects and molluscs. Also featuring a detailed calendar of periodic phenomena, this work illuminates the rhythms and quirks of the natural world in England.
Or, Descriptions of All the Animals Belonging to the Classes Mammalia, Aves, Reptilia, Amphibia, and Pisces Which Have Been Hitherto Observed in the British Islands
Widely respected by contemporaries for his work in natural history, Leonard Jenyns (1800–93) combined research with his duties as an Anglican clergyman. He published and lectured extensively on zoology and botany. Having recommended Darwin for the Beagle voyage, he later produced a paper, 'On the Variation of Species', which Darwin personally requested to see. This 1835 work catalogues five classes of vertebrates: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish. Native, introduced and extinct species of the British Isles are included, with binomial and common names given, along with the dimensions and a description. An improvement on previous works which had overly relied on secondary sources, Jenyns's manual also provides information on location, diet and propagation. The catalogue testifies to the diligent work being carried out in natural history in the era prior to Darwin's revolution. Jenyns's Observations in Natural History (1846) and Observations in Meteorology (1858) are also reissued in this series.
The French geologist and traveller Barthélemy Faujas de Saint-Fond (1741–1819) was a strong supporter of the aerostatic experiments of the Montgolfier brothers, seeking to publicise their pioneering endeavours in this 1783 work. Exploiting the principle that hot air is lighter than cold, the Montgolfiers developed and demonstrated their hot air balloons to great acclaim. In this collection of reports, Faujas presents the details of each experiment, describing the balloons as well as potential improvements. Where possible, he specifies the position of witnesses, precise timings and viewing angles. A number of finely engraved plates enhance the work, giving readers a flavour of the spectacle that impressed contemporary observers. Faujas published a second volume, containing additional accounts and illustrations, in 1784. His Minéralogie des volcans (1784) and Essai de géologie (1803–9) are also reissued in this series.
Thomas Tredgold (1788–1829) has been described as 'the most influential technical author of his generation and possibly of the nineteenth century'. His writings contributed greatly to the wider understanding of engineering, and it is his definition of civil engineering that the Institution of Civil Engineers wrote into their charter of 1828. Published in 1827, this work provides a historical survey and explanation of 'a masterpiece of human contrivance'. Tredgold breaks his subject down into ten sections, each covering areas such as the properties of steam, the differing means of harnessing its power, the history of the steam engine's invention and improvement, and the various applications of steam power. Containing many tables, formulae and line drawings, this thorough work complements Charles Frederick Partington's Historical and Descriptive Account of the Steam Engine (1822), which is also reissued in this series.