Hauptinhalt
A medical house book from the Middle Ages
Scientific medicine, which originated in antiquity, underwent three divergent developments after the end of the Roman Empire. In Europe, it was influenced by Christianity and continued to be based on ancient traditions. In Byzantium, with its center in Alexandria, a stronghold of academic medicine emerged until the 7th century. At the same time, the teachings of Hippocrates and Galen were continued and expanded in the Arab countries by important scholars such as Rhazes and Ibn Sina.
The Christian monasteries in Europe took over the care of the sick as a central task until the 12th/13th century. In the 6th century, Benedict of Nursia defined the care of the sick as a primary duty. Natural remedies from their own monastery gardens were used, and ancient texts were copied and handed down in writing rooms.
From natural philosophy, monastic medicine and academic discipline
Translators in Toledo and Salerno brought Arabic and other ancient texts to Europe, leading to the establishment of the first university medical schools in Salerno and later in Montpellier in the 10th century. The scientification of medicine in the 11th-12th centuries led to the separation of academic discipline and pharmacology.
The ban on clerics carrying out medical treatment, laid down at the Synod of Clermont in 1130, marked a turning point. Monastic medicine was replaced by a system of healing and care outside the monastery walls. Until the 19th century, the ancient humoral pathology of Hippocrates and Galen dominated, with the balance of bodily fluids determining the theory of healing.
Popular methods such as bloodletting, emetics and laxatives were used, while diagnostic procedures such as uroscopy, pulse diagnosis and hematoscopy were used. The medieval art of healing focused on the supply of medicinal plants and the production of medical remedies from animal and plant ingredients, as documented in numerous surviving copies of medical herbaria.
Herbaria and medical manuscripts
The British Library composite manuscript contains the three most prominent medical texts of the 12th century, including the herbarium of Pseudo-Apuleius, De Herbis Feminis by Pseudo-Dioscorides and De medicina ex animalibus by Sextus Placitus, as well as other medical texts.
An incomparable document of the history of science and medicine
The manuscript is a unique compendium that bears witness to its time in terms of medicine, pharmacology, science, mentality and art history. Over 240 artistically designed illustrations offer insights into plants, animals and medical practices. Each picture is colorful and magnificently decorated with gold and silver, a small work of art. The highly symbolic plant images, some of which resemble arabesques, and the wonderful depictions of animals make this manuscript a jewel of medieval book art.
A signature for a high-ranking client
The patrons of the manuscript are unknown, but based on the rich decoration, it is likely to have been a wealthy person. In the 14th century, the codex was owned by the Cistercian monastery Abbaye d'Ourscamp, known for its important infirmary. The pages offer a fascinating insight into the medieval art of healing, pharmacology and surgery.
The details
Format:
30 x 20 cm
Scope:
95 Folios
Execution:240 artistically designed miniatures Limited to 900 pieces worldwide
The facsimile edition
Faithful facsimile edition of the Sloane MS 1975 manuscript from the British Library in London in a strictly limited edition of only 900 copies worldwide. Incredible 244 illustrations of plants and animals as well as three full-page and one half-page miniature on the production of medicines and medical treatments illustrate this unique manuscript on 95 sheets measuring 30 x 20 cm. The binding of the original, a leather binding in elegant black and with the gold-stamped emblem of the Sloane Collection, is reproduced true to the original - with the five bindings a true bibliophile masterpiece. A luxury box protects the valuable edition. The accompanying scholarly volume sheds light on all aspects of the manuscript, traces its exciting history and explains all the miniatures and initials in detail.
