Jacob Rueff
Jacob Rueff (1500-1558), City Physician of Zurich, greatly improved upon Rösslin's Rosengarten with his work, entitled De Concepto Et Generatione Hominis. Rueff stressed the importance of anatomic knowledge of the female pelvis, and the woodcut illustrations were the first an obstetric book to bear some semblance of anatomic reality. The text comprised six sections, or "books" (conception, the uterus, parturition, management of unusual presentations and congenital defects, abortions, and diseases of the uterus). Two decade after Rueff's death, a new edition appeared with illustrations by the noted woodcut artist Jost Amman (1539-91). These charmingly depict the course of pregnancy from hiring the midwife, through the new parents' relaxation following birth, and their inclusion ranks this as one of the most famous illustrated medical books of the 16th century. An English translation, The expert midwife, appeared in 1637.
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