Four medical works by Jean Varandal in one volume, from the library of Bob Luza

Discover an exceptional volume collecting four important medical works by the celebrated French physician Jean Varandal, a pioneering teacher at Montpellier in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Previously part of the library of Dutch Jewish collector Bob Luza (1893–1980), this volume is a must-have for collectors of rare medical texts, early modern medicine, and Judaica provenance.

Explore Varandal’s groundbreaking contributions:

• First work: Detailed study of leprosy, syphilis, venereal diseases, and liver disorders, featuring early treatments including Guaiacum for syphilis and innovative interventions for female genital distortions. Varandal even anticipated techniques later known as uterine stent treatments and hot-water irrigations. He recognized the link between syphilis and infertility or weak offspring (Neuburger-Pagel).
• Second work: Focuses on kidney and bladder diseases, providing rare insight into early modern urology.
• Third work – De morbis et affectibus mulierum: Dedicated to hypochromic anemia, historically called green sickness, for which Varandal coined the term chlorosis.
• Fourth work: A comprehensive guide to prescriptive medicine, with numerous recipes for preparing remedies. Notably, the second and fourth works are second editions, while the first and third are first editions, adding significant bibliographic value.

Varandal “was one of the most outstanding teachers of medicine in Montpellier at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries… extraordinarily popular, but published nothing during his lifetime. After his death, his students published manuscripts and lecture notes” (Hirsch).

Why collectors value this volume:

• Rare first and second editions of key early modern medical texts
• Provenance from a notable Dutch Jewish collector
• Rich historical insight into venereal, female, and prescriptive medicine

Own a piece of medical history and rare book heritage—a scholarly treasure for historians, collectors, and enthusiasts of early modern European medicine.