FLORES (Francisco A.) El Himen en México. Estudio hecho con unas observaciones presentadas en la catedra de medicina legal En la Escuela de Medicina el año 1882. Mexico : oficina tip. de la secretaria de Fomento, 1885. - In-8, half basane beuge racinée, spine ribbed, speckled edges (20th century binding). Very rare first edition. "At the end of the 19th century, at a time when medicine was exerting a strong influence on Mexican society, Francisco A. Flores published El himen en México (The Hymen in Mexico), a hybrid text which, in its first part, presents a study of virginity, qualified by moral judgments and poetic and literary reflections, where the hymen represents the virtue and purity of the woman. In the following chapters, the author develops a forensic presentation with a rigorous classification of hymens, illustrated with plates. In addition to taking a scientific approach to the subject, Flores' work aims to influence readers' opinions by considering the hymen as a symbol of civilization, thus demonstrating the obsession with virginity that has characterized the Mexican people since antiquity" (Miruna Achim, "El himen mexicano a finales del siglo XIX", Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México website). The edition is illustrated with 16 lithographed plates by Echávarri, depicting different types of hymen. Folds to the first few leaves, worm work in the inner margin of the false title and title. Light spotting on the upper margin of the last plates.