Sea-air and sea-bathing

Philadelphia: Presley Blakiston, 1880. Packard, John H. (1832-1907). Sea-air and sea-bathing. 12mo. 124 [4]pp. Philadelphia: P. Blakiston, 1880. 147 x 110 mm. Original cloth, a little worn, rear hinge starting. Lightly browned, library stamps on title and 1 or 2 other leaves, but very good. Library bookplate. First Edition. Includes a chapter on resuscitation of the apparently drowned, describing various methods of artificial respiration, as well as chapters on the medical benefits and dangers of sea-bathing. Packard served in the Civil War in several capacities, writing the useful Manual of Minor Surgery (1863) for the surgeons of the Union Army. He was a founding member of the American Surgical Association, and author of numerous surgical works, including a translation of Malgaigne's treatise on fractures (1859) and a handbook of operative surgery (1870). During the 19th century it was common for doctors to prescribe a course of sea-bathing to their patients as a means of promoting health and vigor; Packard's small treatise on this subject was based primarily on his own experiences of summers spent on the New Jersey shore. Cordasco 80-4754. DAMB (Kelly & Burrage). Rutkow, "John Hooker Packard," in A Manual of Minor Surgery (1990 reprint), pp. v-ix. 31637.