Felix Wurtz (ca. 1500-1596)
Practica der Wundartzney. Felix Würtzen weyland des beruhmten und wolerfahrnen Wundartzts zu Basel: Darinn allerley schadliche Misbrauch welche bisher von unerfahrnen ungeschickten Wundartzten. From new ubersehen und mit vieler Schaden Cur vermehret Durch Rudolph Wurtzen Wundartzt in Strasburg.
Printed in Basel by Sebastian Henricpetri , 1616.
Title, index, 782 (of 784) pp., (last page is missing and replaced in period manuscript), strong traces of use, vellum binding chipped, worn, with wormholes.
Some period manuscript notes on the margins
Size 4.5 by 7"

Felix Wurtz was a surgeon of the 16th century.
Wurtz was born in Zurich. The dates of his birth and death are uncertain. The date of his birth was between approximately 1500 and 1510, and the date of his death was between approximately 1590 and 1596. Wurtz lived and practiced in Zurich and Strasbourg.
He received no academic studies, but had his apprenticeship as a 14-year-old youth at a surgeon. Then he was a barber and worked presumably as a feldsher. From 1536 on he was a member of the guild of barbers in Zurich. He was a friend of Conrad Gesner, the town physician and well-known naturalist. Presumably Gesner gave Wurtz the advice to write about his experiences and knowledge as a surgeon.
Wurtz‘ main work is Praktika der Wundartzney, first published in 1563 in Basel. Here Wurtz describes his opinion of treatment of wounds and criticizes several medical traditions. This book is called by Steinbrecher as “one of the most original and most important medical books of the 16th century”. Wurtz is opposed to certain treatment he judges as wrong. He criticizes in particular the surgical suture and recommends only a narrow range of indication. He stresses the importance of the surgeons own practical experiences.
This attitude is also crucial in his Children's book, which was published after his death by his brother Rudolf in 1612 as a part of the book on surgery. This book is an important contribution to pediatrics. Here Wurtz brought up for discussion in detail the physical damage and curvatures, which were simply a result of swaddling. He seems to be the first writer who openly criticized certain hard forms of this ancient treatment of babies



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