«The most important book on the subject to appear during the 17th century. Harvey was among the first to disbelieve the erroneous doctrine of the ''preformation'' of the foetus; he maintained that the organism derives from the ovum by the gradual building up and aggregation of its parts. The chapter on midwifery in this book is the first work on that subject to be written by an Englishman”- (Garrison & Morton). The first edition was published by Octavianus Pulleyn in London in 4to. The same year (1651) three more editions appeared in Amsterdam of which the earliest, and most elegant, is the present one published by Elzevir.
ESTC R231308 Wing H1091A Willems: Les Elzevirs 1129