Marcello Malpighi, Bologna, 1661 (Google Books, 1663)

De Pulmonibus was Malpighi’s first publication.  It was originally sent to Borelli as two short letters first published in 1661.  Lister noted he read the 1663 edition published in Copenhagen in octavo format.  The book was bound with Thomas Bartholin’s De pulmonum substantia et motu diatribe.

In this groundbreaking work, Malpighi began viewing lungs using the microscope, finding the lungs were composed of alveoli surrounded by a capillary network. In the process, he discovered the long sought–after connection between the arteries and the veins, furthering the work of William Harvey on blood circulation.  Indiana University has a particularly nice set of plate photographs of the work.