Venel stressed the necessity for prolonged periods of recumbency, rather than exercise, in the correction of spinal curvature. He invented a corset and extension bed for treating spinal deformities. His extension bed gave an entirely new direction to treatment and was widely adopted. In 1790 he founded at Orbe, Switzerland, the first orthopedic hospital. The pamphlet was reprinted in Mém. Soc. Sci. phys. Lausanne, 2, 66-, 197-. (1789). Digital facsimile of the 1788 pamphlet from Google Books at this link.