Title
A Treatise on the Diseases and Physical Education of Children
Author
John Eberle, M.D.
Image
Description
Third edition of A Treatise on the Diseases and Physical Education of Children, published in 1837 by Grigg & Elliot, Philadelphia. This influential early American medical text represents one of the first works devoted solely to the health and development of children. John Eberle, professor at the Medical College of Ohio, was among the earliest American physicians to publish systematic textbooks on pathology and therapeutics. This volume combines detailed clinical discussion with guidance on nutrition, hygiene, and early childhood management, forming a cornerstone of nineteenth-century pediatric medicine.
Condition
Good overall. Leather binding shows rubbing and corner wear; spine gilt remains legible. Moderate foxing throughout with some age toning to pages. Binding sound.
Gallery
Historical context
John Eberle (1787–1838) helped establish an American medical literature distinct from European texts. His treatises circulated widely in early U.S. medical schools and among private physicians. This third edition of Diseases and Physical Education of Children advanced understanding of infant nutrition, contagious disease, and physical development at a time when pediatric study was still considered a domestic concern rather than a scientific specialty. The inclusion of “physical education” reflected contemporary emphasis on moral and bodily discipline in child-rearing.
Curious Facts, Ephemera, and Trivia
Curious Facts, Ephemera, and Trivia
This copy bears the signature of Dr. Charles Vose Bemis of Medford, Massachusetts, and a gift plate from Dr. Norman Fitch Chandler to the Boston Medical Library dated 1907. It retains the publisher’s catalog of “Valuable Medical Books” at the front—a snapshot of leading American medical titles of the 1830s.
Excerpt
“…Among the various duties which devolve upon the parent, there are few, if any, more important than that of securing to their offspring a sound physical constitution…” — Preface, 1837 edition
Why it is in the Cabinet
This work exemplifies the early American movement toward scientific pediatrics and reflects the period’s merging of medical instruction and moral philosophy. Its provenance connects three generations of physicians and one of the nation’s oldest medical libraries, preserving both professional lineage and the evolution of child health care in the United States.
Support Dr. Bebout’s Cabinet of Medical Curiosities
If you enjoy the history, the oddities, and the effort, help keep this cabinet open. Every little bit helps preserve and share the strange wonders of medicine's past.
Buy Me a Ko-fi ☕ Buy Me a Coffee ☕ Tip via PayPal 💵