Title
Therapeusis of Internal Diseases (Four-Volume Set) 1913
Author
Frederick Forchheimer, M.D., Sc.D. (Harv.)
Professor of Medicine, Medical Department, University of Cincinnati (Ohio-Miami Medical College)
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Description
This extensive four-volume set, Therapeusis of Internal Diseases, edited by Dr. Frederick Forchheimer, stands as a testament to early 20th-century clinical medicine. Published in 1913, the work provides a thorough and methodically organized insight into internal medicine as practiced in the pre-antibiotic era. The inclusion of multiple contributors and the scope across four volumes reflect the burgeoning complexity of disease classification and treatment emerging in modern medical education.
Each volume presents progressive medical insights, with discussions on etiology, symptomatology, and therapeutics of a wide array of internal disorders. Forchheimer, already renowned for his pediatrics work, here demonstrates his broad clinical influence across disciplines.
Condition
Good to Very Good. All four volumes are structurally intact with moderate shelf wear. Library stamps from the IU School of Medicine Library dated July 29, 1993, mark the title pages of each volume. Minimal foxing, and all text remains clean and legible. Some light edge wear and aging to spine cloth.
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Historical context
Frederick Forchheimer was a pivotal figure in early American internal medicine. These volumes were released during a period of rapid medical advancement and increasing institutionalization of hospital care. They reflect an era when diagnosis depended heavily on clinical acumen, physical examination, and the beginnings of diagnostic instrumentation. This set also shows the pre-World War I shift toward international medical standardization.
Curious Facts, Ephemera, and Trivia
Forchheimer’s name is still known today for “Forchheimer spots,” one of the early signs of rubella.
The publisher, D. Appleton & Co., was a major source of English-language medical texts in the early 1900s.
The IU School of Medicine Library’s withdrawal stamp suggests the books were retired in 1993, nearly 80 years after publication.
Excerpt
“It is not alone the knowledge of remedies, but the ability to apply them at the proper time, in proper dosage, and with proper observation of the patient’s constitution, which constitutes the art of therapeusis.”
Why it is in the Cabinet
This set is a cornerstone of the Bebout Cabinet for its sheer size, scope, and representation of organized, pre-antibiotic internal medicine. Its four-volume structure and intact condition make it an academic treasure and a prime specimen of institutional medical education.