Deventer, Henrici, Neues Hebammen-Licht, 1728, first German Edition, original velum Binding with pen title to spine, fold out plates, (some with damage) edges bumped, text with light foxing, finger marks to some pages,

This is the German version of van Deventer’s Dutch work, which refers to a “New Light” in obstetrics, Nieuw Ligt. At the time, it was the most useful and forward-thinking text for the midwives of the 18^th century. The book includes the morphological differences of the pelvis between men and women, the dangers posed by rickets in relation to childbirth, among many other advances in obstetrics for the time

Hendrik van Deventer (1651-1724) was a renowned Dutch obstetrician. Van Deventer is often mistakenly thought to have been born in The Hague, but he was in fact born in Leiden. Interestingly, he first trained to be a goldsmith, but at the age of 20 an early career change saw him train with a pharmacist from Hamburg. By the age of 28, van Deventer began his practice as a male-midwife in Friesland. Van Deventer’s broad work experience informed his insights into the sex differences in the development of the pelvis, arguing that the female pelvis was formed in such a way as to allow the functioning of the birth canal. In 1694, van Deventer was given the degree of Doctor of Medicine, which enabled him to conduct his work outside of the parish. Hi is considered on of the founing fathers of modern obstetrics