Collection of medical works in Latin (Miscellanea Medica XXII)

Collection of medical works in Latin. Ff. 7-131 are written in a semi-cursive gothic script, 32 lines to a page. Ff. 140-end are by a more angular hand, 34 lines to a page, initials and paragraph marks in red. Ff. 1-7, 132v-139v are in a late 15th century current German hand. On f. 7 is a large ornamental initial in blue and red with marginal decorations, other smaller initials in red and purple on ff. 48, 49, 54, 56v, 58v, 64, 74, 78v, 91: other capitals, paragraph marks, and underlinings in red. The third hand is also found on the verso of the last leaf, in lthe lettering of a circular schematic world-map, in which there are no outlines of continents or countries, though the Latin names of a few are given, with 'Therusalem antidiluvianum' in the centre.

Contents

1. ff. 1r-2v Anonymous, De exercitio, quiete, vigilio et sommo

f. 1r Exercitium ad nature conseruacionem est necessarium ... f. 2v ...et post modicum accidebat cis mors et infirmitas.

2. ff. 3r-6v Anonymous, De infirmitatum proprietatibus

f. 3r De infirmitatum proprietatibus scilicet de earum causis effectibus et signis et remediis ... f. 6v Oportet ut a nociuis cibis a coctis et a nimia frequentia horum abstineat.

3. ff. 7r-47v Henry of Hesse and Theodericus de Heeswick, Experimenta

f. 7r Experiencie Magistrorum Henrici de Esse et Theodrici de Heeswick. Quoniam quidem corpus humanum fragile ... f. 47v ... et debent sumi folia viridia cum modico salis Ieiuno stomacho.

Theoderic of Hesewic was a Dutch physician, active in Scotland around 1350. From a petition of Joan, Queen of Scotland to the Pope, it seems that Theoderic was Joan's clerk. He held a Master of Arts from Paris and was a Bachelor of Medicine. He was of Dutch origin, and was rector of the chapel of St. Emedame in the diocese of Utrecht. He was illegitimate, but had been grated dispensation for this. Further dispensation was needed for him to hold two benefices. See Charles H. Talbot and Eugene Ashby Hammond, The medical practitioners in medieval England: a biographical register (London: Wellcome Historical Medical Library, 1965), p. 329.

4. f. 48r-v Bernard de Gordon, De cautelis urinarum, abridged

f. 48r De cautelis urinarum. Prima urina hominis cognoscitur 4or modis ... f. 48v Ex melancolia discolorata tenuis.

5. ff. 49r-53v Isaac Judaeus, De urina

f. 49r Iudeus parvus de vrina. Urina movetur in urinali ad videndum ... f. 53v ... sicut in colica passione que ex colerico est apostemate.

6. ff. 54r-56v Anonymous, De urinis

f. 54r Urina subtilis cum nigra non conuenit ... f. 56v Mortificationem. Lividus. Niger.

7. ff. 56v-58r Gilles de Corbeil. Carmina de urinis', extract

f. 56v Parvum de contentis in urina et primo de calculo. Ex versibus egidii. Primum contentorum in urina est calculus ... f. 58r Ad superficiem et dicitur nephile.

8. ff. 58v-62r Burgundio de Pisa, De praeservatione a peste

f. 58v Quoniam omnia inferiora tam elementa ... f. 62r ... nisi solus ypocras qui cam vidit regnantem in civitate Crathonis.

9. ff. 62v-63v Anonymous, De erysipelate

f. 62v De curacionibus Ignis sancti Anthonii vel infernalis. Concomitantur huic morbo scilicet bocio ... f. 63v ... per suprascripta medicamina remediantur.

10. ff. 64r-73v Anonymous, Compendium de epidemia compilatum Parisiis 1348

f. 64r Visis effectibus quorum causa latet ... f. 73v ... in omnibus inuocantes et dicentes Gloria tibi domine etc.

11. f. 73v Recipe for an electuary

f. 73v Istud electuarium ponitur a Guidone ... modicum camphorata.

12. ff. 74r-78r Johannes de Tornamira, Praeservatio et cura apostematum antrosorum pestilentialium

f. 74r Preservatio et cura apostematum antrosorum pestilencialium secundum intencionem iohannis de Tornamira ... Cum isti morbi perstilenciales ... f. 78r ... cum vino subtili per mixto cum aqua rosata ut perducat illud ad cor.

13. ff. 78v-90v Anonymous, De sanguine

f. 78v Sanguis aut alteratur ad aliquam qualitatem ... f. 90v ... et mel cum vino decoctionis multum valet superpositum.

14. ff. 91r-97r Gentile da Foligno, De cura herniae

f. 91r Sunt autem ramicis species multe ... f. 97r ... et vespere ante cibum. Explicit tractatus Gentilis de Fulgineo de cura hernie sine incisione'.

15. ff. 97v-122v Miscellaneous medical receipts

16. ff. 123r-130v Bernardus Alberti, Introductio in primam fen. 4 Canonis Avicennae, incomplete

f. 123r Introductorium pro prouectis in practica in theorica super primam fen. 4ti canonis. Compsitum per Bernardum Alberti decanum venerabilis studii medicorum Montispessulani. Inclinatus multorum precibus ... f. 130v ... et potest addere succi summitatis solatri. Si forcius vis ...

17. f. 131r Table of good and bad days for bloodletting

18. f. 131v-139v Miscellaneous medical receipts, mainly in a later hand

19. ff. 140r-150v Trota, De passionibus mulierum

Described by Monica Green as a 'standardised ensemble' (selections). See Monica H. Green, 'A Handlist of the Latin and Vernacular Manuscripts of the So-Called Trotula Texts. Part 1: The Latin Manuscripts', Scriptorium 50 (1996) p. 153. Her description, including incipits and explicits, is reproduced below:

Cum auctor vniversitatis deus in prima mundi constitucione...f. 145r:...ut sunt cepe, pastinace et similia. Entire text of LSM, less 65-71 (on uterine lesions and ulcers). Followed by 149. 150, 152, 153, and 172 from the DCM (on ano-vaginal fistula, uterine prolapse caused by excessive size of the male member, hemorrhoids, and scabies of the hips): Sunt quedam mulieres quibus in parturiendo male accidit et hoc propter defectum astancium...f. 145v:...in ore tenere ne dentes ledantur a viuo argento quod fluit circumquaque. Followed immediately (with no rubrication to indicate a new text) by a tract De coytu (ff. 145v-150v): De coytu .5. puncti nostri...et illi habent effectum virilitatis, scilicet barbam assequuntur, etc. Est finis deo laudes et de gloria nimis. This text discusses the nature of coitus and diseases of the reproductive organs in general terms, constantly comparing men and women.

20. f. 150v-151v Anonymous, De quatuor complexionibus

f. 150v De 4or complexionibus. Quatuor sunt elementa scilicet ignis aer aqua et terra ... f. 151v ... ascendit and caput et ad cerebrum et hec de 4or complexionibus hominis expliciunt dicta.

21. ff. 151v-152v Pseudo-Hippocrates, Physiognomia

f. 151v Sequitur de phisionomia ypocratis. Ypocras mandavit discipulis suis ... f. 152v ...sed cirissime declinatur ad hoc ad quod natura cum disposuit etc.

Mid 15th Century

1 volume 152 ff. 4to. 21 x 14 cm. Original wooden boards, rebacked. Parts of the two brass clasps wanting. Paper. The fly-leaves, pasted down at the beginning and end, are fragments of leaves from a 14th century Service book.

Purchased 1910.

On ff. 20, 32 and 118 are marginal notes in Flemish by the scribe of the first 6 ff. No. 8 is the actual MS. mentioned by Sudhoff in his 'Pestschriften nach der Epidemic des ''Schwarzen Todes' 1348' (cf. Archiv für Geschichte der Medizin V p. 60 et seq.). It was then in the possession of Ludwing Rosenthal from whom it was purchased for the Wellcome Library. No. 10 is entered in Sudhoff's work in Vol. V of the 'Archiv', pp. 46-53, and No. 11 in Vol. XVII, pp. 65-76. On fol. 102 is a receipt by Bartholomaeus de Brugis for an 'Optimum ceroneum pro dolore jucturarum'.

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).

This material has been digitised and can be freely accessed online through Wellcome Collection catalogue.

Inside the upper cover and in the upper margin of fol. 1 'Henricus Scholer est huius [sic] liber Anno Domini 1598.