Trajecti ad Rhenum [Utrecht], Frans Halma, 1690. 4to (21.0 x 18.0 cm). 22, [ii] pp.; one large, folded, engraved plate. Later blind wrappers.

Exceedingly rare and early thesis on the adder, its anatomy, poison, and medical implications. Written by the Swedish medical doctor and herpetologist Johannes L. Lindelius (1663-1712), a student of the Dutch anatomist, zoologist, and botanist Frederik Ruysch (1638-1731). This thesis shows that, long before Linnaeus, Swedish scholars went to the Netherlands to acquire a medical degree. "Joh. Lindelius resided partly in Leiden, partly in Utrecht, partly in Amsterdam from 1687 to 1692; he was graduated in Utrecht in 1690 (his treatise ‘de vipera’ is decorated with a congratulation from the Swedish orientalist M. Rönnow, who was then present in Utrecht). Broen, Braun, Roberg, Rudbeck Jr. and J. v. Hoorn, all received their doctorates in the Netherlands" (DBNL). Earlier, in 1683, Lindelius "wrote an essay on snakes published, as an appendix to the mathematical dissertation De triogonometria (Upsala), a small polemic tractate on misunderstandings about the viper. It contains some critical remarks on perceptions of snakes prevalent at the time: 'Snakes do not bite with stings, as is generally believed, but with their fangs'; 'Snakes cannot lose their stings, when they bite, as they have no stings'" (Strand and Svanberg). His thesis provides much more information. This copy, although without his owner's inscription or stamp, from the library of the renowned Swedish herpetologist Richard Wahlgrén (1946-2019), who had a keen eye for herpetological rarities. On the front wrapper, however, a small round stamp of the Kungl. Biblioteket Stockholm. Title page shaved at the botom with some minor loss. Uncut on 3 sides. Edges, therefore, a bit uneven and soiled; small damp-stain on the rear wrapper, not affecting the paper itself. The fine plate with an old repair on its blank verso and some staining to the outer margins. A very good copy with a striking plate. DBNL, p. 311, note; Strand, J. & I. Svanberg (2009) ”Ormar stingar inte med gadd” Johan Lindelius skrift om ormar 1683.