Household Surgery; or, Hints on Emergencies
Written by John Flint South
 
Published in 1847 by C. Cox, 12 King William Street, Strand, London
Printed by W. Clowes and Sons, Stamford Street, London
Pages: xvi, 340pp, plus advertisement and publisher’s catalogue at the rear
Weight: Approx. 359 grams
Size: Approx. 17.8 cm x 11.6 cm x 2.9 cm
 
This is the first edition of John F. South’s widely read Victorian-era domestic medical manual, Household Surgery, published in London in 1847. It is illustrated throughout, with a frontispiece and numerous in-text illustrations. It was intended to instruct ordinary readers in how to treat injuries and medical emergencies in the home, before access to trained medical professionals was widespread.
 
Binding and Exterior Condition
Bound in the publisher’s original brown cloth, panelled in blind, with gilt lettering on the front board and spine, and a gilt illustration on the front board
Corners are bumped and rubbed from age and handling
There are several small marks and small patches of rubbing on the cloth (see photographs)
Partial splits to the cloth along the front hinge (spine to board joint); rear hinge is intact
Overall, a well-preserved original binding for a book of this age, retaining its character and structure
 
Internal Condition
All pages are present, including:
Sixteen pages of preliminary matter
340 pages of main content
Four pages of rear advertisements for Dr. South’s Philosophy of Health
Sixteen-page publisher’s catalogue at the rear
The pages are slightly roughly cut and uneven at the edges, typical of books from this period, which were often issued with uncut page edges later opened with a paper knife
There are occasional small or very light marks, but these do not obscure the text or illustrations
Most pages are neat and predominantly uncreased
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Pen and Pencil Marks:
A bookplate is pasted to the front pastedown: Newark Library – Circulate June 26th, 1847
A small, numbered sticker (“824”) is present on the front pastedown
There is a small pen inscription on the front free endpaper, on the page adjacent to the preface, and on the rear pastedown
A small sticker is pasted to the back pastedown: “Bound by Westleys & Clark, London”
There are also pencil annotations on pages 26 and 27
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Rips and Tears
There is a very small tear to the inner edge of the frontispiece; the illustration is unaffected
A larger tear is present at the top of page 185, with rubbing visible on page 184 (see photo)
Additional very small edge tears occur occasionally throughout, particularly at the inner margins; none affect legibility or illustrations
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Binding Stability
The binding is slightly shaky due to age
There are cracks in the gutter between a handful of pages, but all pages remain attached
There are no missing pages
The book is still fully readable and complete
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About the Author
John Flint South (1797- 1882) was a British surgeon and author, affiliated with St Thomas’s Hospital in London. He played a leading role in early 19th-century medical education and popular health. Household Surgery was intended to help households manage urgent medical needs, such as wounds, dislocations, and broken bones, before professional assistance could be obtained. This was a widely used and influential work in its time.
 
Historical Context
This copy is a true first edition from 1847, making it much rarer than subsequent reprints from the 1850s and beyond
Later editions (second, third, fourth) regularly appear on the market, but first editions in original cloth bindings are far more scarce