Library of Health: Prevention & Cure 1916 1st ed

Library of Health: Complete Guide to Prevention and Cure of Disease edited by B. Frank Scholl, M.D. (1916, Historical Publishing Co.) – a comprehensive early 20th-century home medical encyclopedia containing twenty books bound into a single massive folio volume of over 1,700 pages. This copy bears the 1919 ownership inscription of W.D. Perkins of Santa Maria, California.

QUICK FACTS

• Editor: B. Frank Scholl, Ph.G., M.D. (Benjamin Franklin Scholl, 1860-1933), Graduate of Jefferson Medical College and Philadelphia College of Pharmacy
• Associate Editors: Anne McFarland Sharp, B.A., M.D. (author of Nervous Trouble Among Women); Frank E. Miller, A.M., M.D. (Consulting Physician, St. Joseph’s Hospital, NYC)
• Publisher: Historical Publishing Co., Philadelphia, PA
• Year: 1916 – First Edition
• Format: Hardcover in green cloth with black geometric panel binding, gilt spine lettering, marbled endpapers and text block edges
• Pages: ~1,700+ | ISBN: None (pre-ISBN era)
• Condition: Very Good – full report below

THE BOOK

Published in 1916, the Library of Health was conceived as a complete home medical reference for the American household at a time when access to professional medical care was uneven and patent medicine advertisements filled newspapers. Editor B. Frank Scholl – a physician and pharmacist trained at Jefferson Medical College and the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy – assembled a team of contributors to produce what is effectively a medical library in one binding. The work spans Materia Medica, simple home medicines, first aid treatment, garden plant remedies, hygiene, physical culture, the science of health, and a comprehensive Dictionary of Drugs.

THIS EDITION

This First Edition from the Historical Publishing Company of Philadelphia is a substantial folio-size volume, bound in green cloth with distinctive black geometric half-binding panels and bright gold gilt spine lettering. The text block features marbled edges in green, pink, and yellow swirls, with matching marbled endpapers. This copy bears the dated ownership signature of W.D. Perkins, Santa Maria, California, April 10, 1919 – providing a direct link to its early life in a California household. The binding is remarkably tight for a volume of this thickness, a testament to quality period construction.

ILLUSTRATIONS

As stated on the title page, the work is “Fully Illustrated with Half Tone and Colored Plates.” The illustrations are among the most compelling features of this volume:

• Color chromolithograph plates depicting human internal anatomy – the heart with great arteries, lungs, liver, stomach in front view – rendered in vivid reds, blues, and pinks with exceptional detail
• Half-tone photographic plates documenting medical conditions including smallpox (with striking vaccination comparison images), as well as physical culture and self-defense instructional sequences captioned by lesson and position
• Color botanical plates (Plate III) illustrating medicinal plants – Pumpkin (Cucurbita Pepo), Onion (Allium Cepa), Fennel, Tansy, and Wood Sorrel – with notes on their therapeutic applications
• Microscopic plates showing Bacillus Tuberculosis magnified to 800 diameters, Comma Bacillus (cholera) at 400 diameters, and human muscle tissue under high magnification
• Detailed anatomical line engravings of the nervous system (Cranial Nerves IX, X, XI; Brain and Cord), musculature of the leg and thigh (Figures 67 and 67a), and vascular anatomy

WHY IT MATTERS

• Monumental scope – twenty books compiled into one volume covering the full range of Progressive Era domestic medicine, from anatomy and surgery to botany and physical culture
• Rare survival in Very Good condition – the chromolithograph plates remain bright and intact, and the binding is exceptionally tight for a book of this size and weight
• Rich illustration program combining multiple 1910s printing techniques: chromolithography, half-tone photography, and line engraving
• Dated provenance inscription (1919) adds historical interest for collectors of California or medical ephemera
• Important document of the home health movement and the popularization of medical knowledge in early 20th-century America

FREQUENTLY ASKED

What is the Library of Health? A massive single-volume home medical encyclopedia published in 1916, compiling twenty books on anatomy, preventive medicine, first aid, herbal remedies, hygiene, physical culture, and pharmacology. Edited by Dr. B. Frank Scholl, a Philadelphia physician and pharmacist.

What condition is it in? Very Good. The green cloth binding is well-preserved with minor edge rubbing and light shelf wear. The marbled edges and endpapers are clean and intact. Interior pages are clean with light age-toning. The binding is square and remarkably tight. The list of illustrations page has some chipping with small edge losses (text unaffected) and a horizontal closed tear at the outer edge. See full report below.

Does it contain color plates? Yes. Multiple color chromolithograph plates of human anatomy and botanical subjects are present and in excellent condition, along with half-tone photographic plates and line engravings throughout.

FOR COLLECTORS

This is an uncommon find in such well-preserved condition. The Library of Health is sought after by collectors of vintage medical books, oddities and curio cabinet pieces, and early 20th-century Americana. The combination of color anatomical plates, botanical remedies, and the remarkable physical culture photography section makes it a uniquely eclectic volume – a time capsule of Progressive Era health culture that has few equals on the market. Copies in comparable condition with clean plates and tight bindings are increasingly difficult to source.

Condition Report

Overall Grade: Very Good (VG)

Cover and Spine: The green cloth covers with black textured half-binding elements are well-preserved. There is minor rubbing to the edges and corners, with light shelf-wear to the cloth surface. Spine ends show minor bumping. Gold gilt lettering on the spine remains clear and legible.

Dust Jacket: None (as issued).

Text Block and Pages: Margins are lightly age-toned but clean and uniform. The multi-colored marbled edges of the text block are present and clear. The interior pages are clean, with the exception of the 1919 owner signature on the front flyleaf. Plates, including the color anatomical overlays and botanical diagrams, remain bright and intact. At the beginning of the volume, the list of illustrations, the first page has chipping with some small losses along the edges, does not impact the text and the last page of the illustration contents has a horizontal closed tear at the outer edge about midway, otherwise the pages throughout are intact and clean.

Binding: The binding is square and remarkably tight for a volume of this thickness. Inner hinges are strong and intact; marbled endpapers are clean and undamaged.

See accompanying images for full condition details.

Shipping

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HFB-SEO-v1: 2026-07-15

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