MEDICINE. Pierre-Christophe GORCY (1758-1862) physician. Man - Lot 182

MEDICINE. Pierre-Christophe GORCY (1758-1862) physician. Manuscript Mémoire en réponse aux questions sur la rage proposées par le Cercle Médical de Paris, Paris December 21, 1816; 252 fol. pages in 10 quires (1st leaf dusted and browned). Important unpublished memoir on rabies, submitted on December 21, 1816. A small enclosed leaflet (originally a sealed envelope) identifies the author. This is a clean copy with substantial autograph additions in the margins. The manuscript comprises eight chapters: I What is the disease known as Rabies; II What are the signs of hydrophobia in man and animals; III Are there circumstances in which rabies develops spontaneously in man?IV Are there several species of rabies, and what are they? V Are all species of rabies contagious to man, and how is it communicated? VI Are the accidents that follow the bite of rabid animals to be attributed to a particular virus, to the nature of the bite, to the physical lesion of the bitten parts, or to terror? VII Do liquids and solids present any alterations peculiar to this disease, either during life or after death? VIII What is the most suitable mode of treatment, either as a preservative or as a curative? Pierre-Christophe Gorcy, born in Pont-à-Mousson, settled in Metz after completing his studies; he was a physician in the revolutionary and imperial armies, chief physician of the Metz military hospital, and one of the founders of the Metz Society of Medical Sciences; he was an associate member of the Académie de Médecine.