Rare Books

Most of the books in the Markus Library Rare Book Collection were bequeathed by Alfred Einstein Cohn (1879-1957), emeritus of The Rockefeller Institute, one of the first cardiologists in the U.S., a scholar whose interests encompassed many fields and earned his high regard in the world of culture.

The scope of the collection is broad, encompassing the humanities, medicine, and natural history, including botany, agriculture, and geography.

Dr. Cohn's rare volumes of scientific and medical interest, published in 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, include some of the major works of many of the great names in the history of medical science, often in the first editions: Celsus, Thomas Bartholinus, G. Borelli, Malpighi, Leuwenhoek, Richard Lower, Mead, and many others.

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Friend, John

The Rockefeller University

Friend, John. Joannis Freind ... Opera omnia medica, 1735

Subjects: Medicine – Early works to 1800

Language: Latin
Gage, Thomas

The Rockefeller University

Gage, Thomas. Nouvelle Relation, contenant les Voyages de Thomas Gage dans la Nouvelle-Espagne, ses diverses aventures et son retour par la province de Nicaragua jusqu'à la Havane, 1699

Full text, vol. 1

Full text, vol.2

Subjects: Central America – Description and travel

Notes: In two volumes. First published under title: The English-American, his travail by sea and land (London, 1648). This translation first published Paris, 1676, and previously by Marret in 1695. Sabin mentions Adrien Baillet as a translator, though le sieur Beaulieu Hues O'Neil is credited on the t.p. as Sabin cites it. The section on the Pokonchi language is here omitted.

Language: French
Galilei, Galileo

The Rockefeller University

Galilei, Galileo. Sydereus nuncius magna, longeque admirabilia spectacula pandens, suspiciendaque proponens unicuique, praesertim vero Philosophis, atque Astronomis, quae a Galileo Galileo patritio Florentino Patauini Gymnasij publico mathematico perspicilli nuper à se reperti beneficio sunt obseruata in lunae facie ...circa Iovis stellam disparibus interuallis, atque periodis ... nuncupandos decrevit, 1656

Full text

Subjects: Astronomy – Early works to 1800

Language: Latin
Galilei, Galileo

The Rockefeller University

Galilei, Galileo. Opere di Galileo Galilei linceo nobile fiorentino, Già Lettore delle Matematiche nelle Università di Pisa, e di Padova, di poi Sopraordinario nello Studio di Pisa, 1655-1656

Subjects: Astronomy – Early works to 1800

Notes: First edition of the first collected works of the father of modern physics, edited by Carlo Manolessi. In two volumes

Language: Latin
Galilei, Galileo

The Rockefeller University

Galilei, Galileo. Dialogo di Galileo Galilei, Dove nei congressi di quattro giornate si discorre sopra i due massimi sistemi del mondo Tolemaico, e Corpernicano;... In questa impressione migliorato ed accresciuto sopra l'esemplare dell'autore stesso, 1744

Subjects: Astronomy – Early works to 1800

Language: Italian

Galileo’s Dialogo is a scientific and philosophical affirmation of the Copernican heliocentric theory over the earth-centered Ptolemaic theory of the solar system. Written in a literary style, Galileo deliberately chose to write this work in vernacular Italian rather than scholarly Latin in order to reach a mass audience. The topic made Galileo a threat to the authority of the Roman Catholic Church. It was this book that brought Galileo before the Inquisition in 1633, where he was forced to recant his views. He was put under permanent house arrest. Dialogo was placed on the Index of the prohibited book where it remained until 1835.
Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, Etienne

The Rockefeller University

Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, Etienne. Philosophie anatomique, 1818

Full text

Subjects: Respiratory organs, Abnormalities, Human

Language: French
Goldsmith, J.

The Rockefeller University

Goldsmith, J.A general view of the manners, customs, and curiosities of the nations; including a geographical description of the earth, the whole illus. by fifty-four maps, and other engravings, 1813

Subjects: Geography- Textbooks

World History

Notes: In two volumes

Language: English
Goldsmith, Oliver

The Rockefeller University

Goldsmith, Oliver. A History of earth and animated nature, 1825

Subjects: Zoology

Physical geography

Notes: In one volume. Embellished with a series of beautiful and appropriate engravings, designed and executed by the first artists

Language: English
Guénée, Antoine

The Rockefeller University

Guénée, Antoine. Lettres de Quelques Juifs Portugais et Allemands, à M. de Voltaire; avec des réflexions critiques, &c. Et un petit commentaire extrait d'un plus grand, 1772

Subjects: France; cultural history - Ideas and movements, before 1800 - Personalities - Voltaire

Notes: 3d edition in two volumes

Language: French
Haeser, Heinrich

The Rockefeller University

Haeser, Heinrich. Lehrbuch der Geschichte der Medicin und der Volkskrankheiten, 1875

Full text

Subjects: Medicine - History

Notes: An important German work on the history of medicine

Language: German
Hales, Stephen

The Rockefeller University

Hales, Stephen. Statical essays: containing vegetable staticks; or, an account of some statical experiments on the sap in vegetables, 1731-1733

Full text, vol. 1

Full text, vol. 2

Subjects: Plant physiology

Blood

Notes: In two volumes. Second edition, with amendments

Language: English
Haller von, Albrecht

The Rockefeller University

Haller von, Albrecht. Primae lineae physiologiae, in usum praelectionum academicarum, 1767

Full text

Subjects: Physiology

Human anatomy

Language: Latin
Haller von, Albrecht

The Rockefeller University

Haller von, Albrecht. First line of physiology, 1803

Full text

Subjects: Physiology

Human anatomy

Notes: First American edition

Language: English
Haller von, Albrecht

The Rockefeller University

Haller von, Albrecht. Deux Memoires sur le mouvement du sang et sur les effets de la saignée: fondes sur des experiences faites sur des Animaux, 1756

Subjects: Medicine – Early works to 1800

Language: Latin
Helmont van, Jan Baptist

The Rockefeller University

Helmont van, Jan Baptist. Ortus medicinae, id est, initia physicae inaudita: progressus medicinae novus, in morborum ultionem, ad vitam longam, 1651

Full text

Subjects: Chemistry – Early works to 1800

Language: Latin
Helmont van, Jan Baptist

The Rockefeller University

Helmont van, Jan Baptistn. A ternary of paradoxes: the magnetick cure of wounds, nativity of tartar in wine, image of God in man, 1650

Full text

Subjects: Medicine - Early works to 1800

Theological Anthropology

Wounds and injuries

Language: English
Helvétius, Jean Claude Adrien

The Rockefeller University

Helvétius, Jean Claude Adrien. Idée generale de l'oeconomie animale et observations sur la petite verole, 1722

Full text

Subjects: Medicine - Early works to 1800

Smallpox

Language: French
Hofmann von, August Wilhelm

The Rockefeller University

Hofmann von, August Wilhelm. Einleitung in die moderne Chemie: nach einer Reihe von Vorträgen gehalten in dem Royal College of chemistry zu London, 1866

Full text

Subjects: Chemistry

Language: German
Hooper, Robert

The Rockefeller University

Hooper, Robert. A compendious medical dictionary: containing an explanation of the terms in anatomy, physiology, surgery, materia medica, chemistry, and practice of physic - collected from the most approved authors, 1798

Full text

Subject: Medicine - Early works to 1800

Notes: With two final advertisement leaves

Language: English
Huhn, Augustus

The Rockefeller University

Huhn, Augustus. Biblia Hebraica, 1839

Subjects: Bible. -- Old Testament.

Language: Hebrew

A personal gift to Dr. Alfred E. Cohn