Swan (Mr Joseph FRCS)
A Minute Dissection of the Cerebral Nerves from their Origin to their Terminations, and to their Conjunction with the Nerves of the Medulla Spinalis, and Viscera authentical by Preperations of the dissected Parts. Hand-written, ?c. 1825-7 [vide infra]. 4to, contemporary diced calf; 144 leaves written on one side only.
Joseph Swan was a highly successful and brilliant anatomist whose retiring and modest attitude kept him long underappreciated, according to Plarr's Lives online. He won two Jacksonian Prizes at the Royal College of Surgeons as well as two Triennial Prizes (which has only been awarded twelve times since first offered in 1822). This is a copy of the essay submitted for that second prize.

Dating this copy precisely has been difficult. The prize was awarded for the years 1825-7, hence the date above. We are grateful to the Royal College Archives for confirming that although there seems to be nothing which states the College had to keep the prize essays, they were submitted anonymously. Given this it seems unlikely this is the original submission as it would have been unlikely to have been returned or named on the title page. It does seem likely that Swan would have kept a personal copy for his own records, which this could be. This would be supported by a pencil note opposite p.143 recording that sample X was "Delivered to Mr Howitt for Mr Swan March 18th 1829".
This is complicated though by a reference footnote which lists the Edinburgh Medical and Surgical Journal as a source. The volume number appears to be 77, however vol. 77 was issued in 1852. It could perhaps be Vol. 11 (1815). In neither case though is there a "p.564". The footnote seems integral based on the rest of the volume, rather than added later. It would seem odd that Swan would not have sourced a reference to a case at the time and deliberately added a printed reference thirty years later, given that he lists the case details in the text, and does give sources in other cases.

It might be that Swan had intended the work for later publication. He published his 1819 Jacksonian Prize in 1820, and did publish other works on the nerves, but this essay is not listed amongst them under his entry in Plarr's Lives online. It would seem odd that he would publish the essay so late after or include the sample list with explanatory header. He was not searching for new publications as he published works in 1853 and 54. It seems most likely that this was Swan's copy, made at the time for his own use when he submitted the anonymous copy.