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[SECOND SOVIET GOUT EXPEDITION TO SVANETI] chiq’vi svanetshi: (mritskhvelobiti masala) [i.e. Gout in Svaneti: Quantitative Data]

Aslanishvili, I.

Item #2014

Tbilisi: sametsniero dats’esebulebata mtavarmartvelobis gamotsema, 1926. 62, [2] pp.: ill. 25.7x17.3 cm. In original publisher’s printed wrappers. Rubbed spine, closed tear to the lower right corner of the front wrapper, light soiling of the wrappers, otherwise in a very good condition. Author’s ink inscription on the front wrapper: “With great love and respect to Mr. Grigol Mukhadze. From the writer. 12/II 36 Tbilisi.” Grigol Mukhadze (1879-1948) was a noted Soviet Georgian surgeon and hermotologist.

Very rare Georgian imprint with no copies found in Worldcat. First edition, 1 of 1,000 copies. With 35 black-and-white illustrations.
Title-page in French and Georgian. Text in Georgian with a resume in French. Foreword by the Georgian doctor and scientist Alexander Machavariani (1884-1941).
A historically significant collection of quantitative data collected by a pioneer Georgian endocrinologist Ioseb Aslanishvili (1891-1955) during the second Soviet gout expedition to Svaneti (first - 1924). A graduate of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Novorossiysk (1915), Aslanishvili was one of the organizers of the fight against gout in Georgia. In 1932, he founded an endocrinology laboratory in Tbilisi, where he remained a prominent figure until his death in 1955.
The expedition, aimed to investigate the outbreaks of gout in Svaneti, was launched by the Public Health Commission of Georgia in the summer of 1925. Led by Professor Mikhail Asatiani, the party consisted of at least seven members, including Ioseb Aslanishvili (the author), Beso Oqropiridze, and Paata Mgaloblishvili. Departing from Lechkhumi on July 20th, the expedition sequentially explored Lower Svaneti followed by Upper Svaneti over the ensuing weeks. The party discovered that Svaneti had the highest incidence of gout among all regions in Georgia. Moreover, it revealed a significant disparity in gout prevalence between Lower and Upper Svaneti.
Ultimately, the expedition’s findings pointed to water sources as the underlying cause of the epidemic.
In the book, the author offers a first-hand account of the expedition and includes data collected during the mission. Aslanishvili delineates the unique aspects of life in both Lower and Upper Svaneti, providing stats on population figures, gender ratios, and incidence rates in local communities and villages. He then compares these current findings with data from prior expeditions in 1903 and 1924, noting an increase in percentage distribution over the years. The book features 35 black and white illustrations capturing scenes from the expedition, including vibrant, vernacular images of local Svans infected by gout. The photos likely appeared in press for the very first time. Overall, a historically important and one of the earliest Soviet studies of gout in Svaneti.

No copies found in Worldcat.

Price: $750.00