Receipt Book, Latin: Before 1500

RECEIPT-BOOKS, Latin: Before 1500. Collection of medical receipts by an anonymous Italian physician: in Latin. Written in a rounded Italian cursive hand 29-30 lines to a page. The text contains mainly medical receipts, but there are a few chemical, household and technical receipts. There is a long section (ff. 12v-19v) 'Ad diversas passiones oculorum', and a number of receipts for toothache, etc. Included are several incantations and magical remedies some of which have been crossed through. The water-mark most frequently found seems to be Briquer No. 786 (Lucca. 1372).

Late 14th century

1 volume 115 [120] ff. 8vo. 23 x 15 cm. Modern vellum binding. Ff. 60, 61, 72, 76, 93, and some leaves at the end are wanting: the upper part of the first leaf is missing, and the margins of the next three leaves are damaged; many leaves are damp stained, with some loss of text. A new foliation has been supplied in pencil.

Purchased 1909.

Ff. 89v, 90, 92-end consist of notes on the 'Virtues' of 65 animals, including man, which contain several charms and many examples of the use of disgusting products. It may possibly be a version of the 'De virtutibus animalium' by Eberus, mentioned by Thorndike in his 'History of Magic and Experimental Science' Vol. 11, p. 763. In any case the remedies and details agree with those found in the 'De medicina ex animalibus' of Sextus Placitus, and in the second book of 'Kiranides'.

Database description transcribed from S.A.J. Moorat, Catalogue of Western Manuscripts on Medicine and Science in the Wellcome Historical Medical Library (London: Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, 1962-1973).