Paré’s first book was his treatise on gunshot wounds. He is one of the greatest of the military surgeons, and is particularly remembered for his abandonment of the practice of cauterization of gunshot wounds with boiling oil, until his time a universal procedure. Digital facsimile BnF Gallica at this link.

Paré’s revival of podalic version repopularized the procedure, which had been described by Soranus of Ephesus (No. 6008). English translation in The Workes of Ambroise Parey [sic], London, 1634. Digital facsimile of the 1550 edition from BnF Gallica at this liink.

Written after the death of Paré’s patient, Henri II, who was struck in the eye by the shaft of a lance at a tournament in celebration of the marriage of Philip, King of Spain, with Elizabeth of France. Paré discusses surgery of head wounds with special attention to skull fractures. Digital facsimile from BIU Santé at this link.

Paré’s first general treatise on surgery, and the most comprehensive of his treatises before his collected works (1575). Dix livres included Paré's first description of the use of the ligature in amputations, one of his greatest contributions. Paré began the work with an exposition of his method of treating gunshot wounds, including descriptions and illustrations of the instruments he used. In his second chapter he discussed the treatment of arrow wounds, reminding us that arrows were still a major weapon of war in the 16th century. In his third chapter he discussed his methods of treating fractures, and the instruments, splints, and bandaging methods required. His fourth book covered the treatment of contusions, and the use of many instruments. His fifth book concerned the treatment of burns. The sixth book concerned what he called  "caries of the bones" which caused ulceration and putrefaction. These wounds he often treated with cautery. The seventh book concerned gangrene and "mortification," their treatment by amputation, and prostheses which Paré designed for these patients, including artificial legs and artificial hands. In his eighth book Paré discussed urological diseases including surgery for urinary stricture The ninth book concerned surgery for kidney and bladder stones. The tenth book further discussed urological problems, followed by a long section in which Paré illustrated and described the widest range of his instruments and the uses for each.

Paré also had an extensive dental practice and his books contain much information on the subject. He designed several instruments for extracting teeth, including an extraction forceps for breaking and pulling the teeth, sponge obturators, and an obturator with screw closure and special forceps for placement. He described a variety of pelican which he called a daviet. He also described and illustrated artificial teeth made of bone which he attached by silver wire. English translation as Ten books of surgery with the magazine of the instruments necessary for it. Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press, 1969. See No. 55. Digital facsimile of the 1575 edition from BnF Gallica at this link

Many reports of real malformations are intermixed with mythical accounts. English translations, 1634, and later. Recent English translation, Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1982. Digital facsimile of the 1573 edition from BnF Gallica at this link.

Paré was the greatest of the army surgeons before Larrey. Born in poor circumstances, he became the most famous surgeon in France. He is particularly remembered for his abandonment of boiling oil and the cautery (No. 2139), for his revival of podalic version (No. 6140), his re-introduction of the ligature and his invention of many new surgical instruments. He was the first to suggest that syphilis is a cause of aneurysm. He popularized the truss, introduced artificial limbs, and (in dentistry) reimplantation of the teeth. See also No. 59. This folio is the first edition of his collected works, reprinting texts that Paré previously published separately in octavo format. The fifth and most complete edition of the Oeuvres, containing the first printing of Paré’s final revisions, was published in Paris, 1598. English translation (from the 1582 Latin translation of the second [1579] edition) by botanist and apothecary Thomas Johnson, London, 1634. Digital facsimile of the 1575 edition from BnF Gallica at this link. Digital facsimile of the 1649 second edition in English from the Medical Heritage Library, Internet Archive, at this link.

The best edition of Paré’s works, edited by Malgaigne. An English translation of Pare's Oeuvres by Thomas Johnson appeared as early as 1634. See also No. 5565. Janet Doe published A bibliography of the works of Ambroise Paré, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1943 and F. R. Packard published Life and times of Ambroise Paré.,. New York, 1921. Malgaigne's comprehensive historical introduction to his edition was translated by Wallace Hamby as Surgery and Ambroise Paré, Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1965. Digital facsimile from the Hathi Trust at this link.

Facsimile of the 1585 fourth and best edition of Paré's Oeuvres, published in 3 vols., each volume additionally illustrated by a distinguished French 20th century artist. 5000 numbered sets were issued in various different bindings.