Lister, Observations on Ligature of Arteries on the Antiseptic System, 1870

Observations on Ligature of Arteries on the Antiseptic System. First separate printing (second issue), with the original type-setting of first 25 lines of page13 pasted over the cancel page on slightly darker paper. Modern blue paper wraps and modern end papers. Article is 16 pages with 3 lithographed figures on 2 plates. A few small faint stains. Mild toning. Prior dealer’s penciled annotations on front blank. Contained in modern blue cloth folder with paper label on front cover (with author's name added in manuscript ink pen). Undated, but 1870. 
 
See G-M 2964 for the first appearance of this article in Lancet, 1, 451-55, 1869. “Lister evolved a carbolized catgut ligature, better than any previously produced. He was able to cut short the ends of his ligature, closing the wound tightly and eliminating the necessity for bringing the ends of ligatures out through the wound.” (This prevented suppuration around the ligature deep within the surgical site.) 
 
Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister (1827 - 1912) was professor of surgery at the Universities of London, Edinburgh, Glasgow. He established the antiseptic method of surgery after recognizing the significance and potential applications of Pasteur’s work. Lister was also the first to grow a pure bacterial culture. His antiseptic surgical methods were first employed on the battlefield by French and German armies in 1870.