MASSON (Georges-Armand) — CARTIER (Roger). Modern Diseases. - Lot 191

MASSON (Georges-Armand) — CARTIER (Roger). Modern Diseases. I. Speculation — II. The Cocktail — III. Radio — IV. Speed — V. Dancing — VI. Department Stores. [No place], Éditions du Valérianate Pierlot, [circa 1930–1935]. A collection of six in-4 booklets, stapled, with covers printed in blue; each issue accompanied by a large, humorous color illustration by Roger Cartier. A curious and highly appealing advertising publication devoted to so-called “modern diseases,” published to promote Valérianate Pierlot, a medication made from fresh valerian root and presented as “neurotropic, sedative, and antispasmodic.” The series wittily subverts medical vocabulary and imagery to transform the quirks and novelties of modern life into genuine pathologies: financial speculation, cocktail parties, radio, high-speed driving, dancing, and department store frenzy. Each condition is thus assigned its own symptoms, modes of transmission, and “clinical chart.” The collection is particularly notable for its Art Deco illustrations by Roger Cartier, printed in color: compositions blending caricature, photomontage, pseudo-scientific diagrams, and advertising graphics. Notable examples include *Banquierum vulgaris*, the “acute phase” of *T.S.F.*, *Speed Neurosis*, the “*Micrococcus saxophonicus* or dance bacillus,” and the spectacular temperature curve of *Department Store Fever*. The final issue, *Les Grands Magasins*, features a text by Georges-Armand Masson, a physician and humorist known for his pastiches and satires. The series is firmly rooted in this medical-burlesque tradition, while also serving as an interesting testament to French pharmaceutical advertising during the interwar period. A rare complete set of all six issues. My research reveals virtually no specific commercial instances of this series under its title, which at the very least confirms its rarity; I therefore prefer not to assign it a bibliographic entry or print run that I cannot document. Condition: copy in fair condition. Covers are slightly soiled and discolored, with small stains and signs of handling; there are a few old annotations in pencil or ink on some front covers, as well as minor creases and small marginal tears. The interior is generally clean; the color plates are particularly vibrant and decorative. The set appears to be complete with all six installments.