The Longacre Memorial Library of Plastic Surgery
This landmark text—the first work devoted to plastic surgery and reconstruction—was produced by Gaspare Tagliacozzi, a professor of anatomy and surgery at Bologna. The De curtorum chirurgia per insitionem (“On the surgical restoration of defects by grafting”) describes the theory and practice of operations to repair the nose, lips, and ears using skin grafts taken from the upper arm of the patient.
In this comprehensive manual on the history and practice of reconstructive surgery, Zeis coins the term “plastic surgery” as a specialty. The volume was recently digitized as part of the Medical Heritage Library project, and can be found online here.
For more on plastic surgery, check out Plastic Surgery in Boston: Then and Now and Reconstructing Lives.