Armamentarium Chirurgicum

Armamentarium Chirurgicum

frontispiece for Scultetus treatise

Frontispiece of Johannes Scultetus's Armamentarium Chirurgicum shows a man's leg being set. In the background hung on the wall are the surgeon's instruments of choice, including bone nippers and other shears. This treatise is moreso catered to surgery surrounding war injuries. HOWEVER, notes include that this particular treatise gave new surgical techniques in mastectomy, c-section, hernia operations and arterial ligation (which may explain also why the leg setting on the frontispiece appears like a lithotomy) It was published by Adrian Vlacq in 1657 in Latin. First edition written in Latin with 170 pages and 43 engravings with French and German translations soon after. The later editions (like this one) expanded to 370 pages and 50 engravings. This edition has the illustrations by German engraver and painter Jonas Arnold. Jonas Arnold is the designer of the mastectomy patient with the veil and unveiled face and chest. The tumor is first tied with ligatures, strangled, then cut with a knife. The body is cauterized.

Johannes Scultetus

Hague: Adriaan Vlacq
(Vlacq was a Dutch book publisher who moved to London in 1632 before moving to Paris at the onset of English Civil War, then moved to the Hague)

1657