LARREY DOMINIQUE JEAN: (1766-1842) French Surgeon of Napoleon´s Grande Armée. Larrey was the Emperor´s favourite surgeon, an innovator in the battlefield medicine and widely considered one of the first modern military surgeons. Rare A.L.S., `Larrey´, with flourish, one page, 8vo, Paris, 12<sup>th</sup> March 1842, to Mr Perrier, General director of the “Eaux et Forêts”, water and forests department, in French. The present letter is written only four months before Larrey died of pneumonia after contracting it during a health inspection in Algiers. Larrey sends the only copy he holds of his biography to his correspondent, stating `Monsieur le Directeur Général, Pour justifier un peu la bienveillance que vous daignez m´accorder, permettez-moi de vous addresser le seul exemplaire qui me reste d´une biographie qu´on a publiée à mon insu sur ma personne. A quelques imperfections près elle est très exacte et je desire que sa lectura puisse vous inspirer quelque intérêt´ (Translation: “To justify a little the benevolence that you deign to grant me, allow me to send you the only copy that remains with me of a biography that was published without my knowledge on my person. Apart from a few imperfections, it is very accurate and I hope that its reading may inspire some interest in you”) With blank integral leaf. G to VG

 

Larrey´s remains were transferred to Les Invalides and re-interred near Napoleon´s tomb.