LEBERT, Hermann (known as Lewy) (1813-1878). German physicia - Lot 92

LEBERT, Hermann (known as Lewy) (1813-1878). German physician, naturalist and balneologist. Important autograph manuscript in French with numerous autograph corrections, s.l.n.d. [ca. 1840]. Approx. 82 large in-8 pages on wove paper, old handwritten foliotation. Manuscript incomplete at the end and on pp. 63-64 and 73-87. Remarkable medical study devoted to the Eaux de Lavey and the saline "mother waters" used in Swiss spa treatments in the early 19th century. This "third report" is a veritable clinical and statistical treatise on the therapeutic uses of mineral waters. The manuscript opens with a lengthy methodological introduction, in which Lebert scientifically justifies his observations: "Before delivering to the medical public this third account of the waters of Lavey [...] I nevertheless decided on this publication, because the observations of the last season relate to several interesting facts [...]" The author successively studies the chemical properties of the waters, their internal and external use, and then draws up a broad typology of the pathologies treated: rheumatic diseases, digestive disorders, nervous diseases, joint affections, paralysis, paraplegia, hysterical or hypochondriac conditions. Particularly interesting is the statistical dimension of the work: Lebert methodically records cases of cure, improvement or therapeutic failure, drawing up veritable pre-modern clinical tables: "Tableau synoptique des malades observés à l'hospice de Lavey en 1840" (Synoptic table of patients observed at the Lavey hospice in 1840). Detailed observations on paralysis and neurological disorders testify to the beginnings of clinical neurology at the spa: "Paraplegia. This is one of the greatest successes of the Lavey waters...". The manuscript features numerous autograph corrections, additions and stylistic changes, revealing a working text intended for scholarly publication. Very fine, regular and perfectly legible handwriting. A first-rate document for the history of spa medicine, balneotherapy and clinical practices in the early 19th century.