Venice

1469 CE

#89

Historia naturalis, libri XXXVII.

The most ancient Western encyclopedia extant, Pliny’s Historia contained essentially all that was known in his time concerning geography, mineralogy, anthropology, botany, zoology and meteorology. Books XX-XXXII…

1470 CE

#13696

Rhetorica ad C. Herennium.

First description of the "method of loci," the memory technique as known as the "memory palace." Because of its wide use during the Middle Ages this text survives in hundreds of medieval manuscripts. Fourteen printed …

1471 CE

#1789

Antidotarium. Add: Quid pro quo; Synonyma.

This work, which first circulated in manuscript in 1140, was the first formulary to be printed. It consists of 139 prescriptions and includes the original formula for the “anesthetic sponge” (spongia somni…

1471 CE

#11287

Liber servitoris de praeparatione medicinarum simplicium. Translated by Abraham Tortuosiensis. Edited by Simon a Cordo.

Book 28 on drugs from the Al-Tasrif, a 30-volume Arabic encyclopaedia on medicine and surgery, written ca. 1000 CE by Abulcasis. ISTC No. ia00014000. Digital facsimile from the Württembergische Landesbibliothek S…

1471 CE

#10960

Opera medicinalia. Ed: Peregrinus Cavalcobovis, with a preface by Nicolaus Gupalatinus. Consisting of: Canones universales. De simplicibus. Grabadin. Practica.

This undated edition, which the ISTC im00508000 catalogues as "not before 18 May 1471", may be the earliest printed edition of the writings of the medieval Persian or Assyrian Nestorian Christian physician Yuhanna ibn…

1474 CE

#146

Historiae. Tr: Laurentius Valla. Ed: Benedictus Brognolus. Add: Benedictus Brognolus: Epistola ad Nicolaum Donatum.

Born in Asia Minor, Herodotus travelled through Greece, Asia Minor and North Africa. His Historiae includes careful observations on the nature and habits of various peoples, and he may be regarded as the founder of an…

1474 CE

#5552

La ciroxia vulgarmente fata.

Saliceto was Professor of Surgery at Bologna about 1268; his treatise on surgery, written about 1275, was the leading work on the subject in the 13th century. William broke with tradition by claiming that pus formatio…

1475 CE

#10733

De honesta voluptate et valetudine.

The first two editions of De honesta voluptate et valetudine, the first printed work on cookery, diet, and health, by Italian humanist and papal librarian Bartholomeo Platina (Sacchi) appeared at roughly the same time…

1476 CE

#274

De animalibus. Translated by Theodorus Gaza. Edited by Ludovicus Podocarthus.

Includes Aristotle's De historia animalium, De partibus animalium, and De generatione animalium. Aristotle was the first scientist to gather empirical evidence about the biological world through observation. By his ca…

1477 CE

#10725

Liber phsionomiae [and other works].

"Composed between 1209 and 1226, the first of the two primary texts discusses human generation — anatomy, physiology, astrology, sexual behavior, conception and the health of the fetus. The second part, the Phys…

1480 CE

#12984

Chirurgia. Edited by Matthaeus Moretus.

Argelata was a pupil of Guy de Chauliac, and professor at Bologna. He is supposed to have done the autopsy on Pope Alexander V, who died suddenly on May 3, 1410. ISTC No. ia00951000. Digital facsimile from U.S. Nation…

1483 CE

#6813

De divisione librorum Galeni IN: Articella seu Opus artis medicinae.

Considering the central importance of Galen's writings in medicine from the time he wrote well through the sixteenth and even the seventeenth century, and the need for physicians to make sense of such a large number o…

1483 CE

#9399

Opera. With the commentary of Averroes. Edited by Nicoletus Vernia. 8 parts.

First edition of the collected works of Aristotle with the commentaries of Averroes, by which Aristotle was mainly studied during the Middle Ages. The purpose of Vernia's edition was to provide an accurate edition of …

1489 CE

#6495.7

Maimonides: Aphorismi secundum doctrinam Galeni. Add: Mesue: Aphorismi. Rhasis: De secretis in medicina. Hippocrates: Capsula eburnea.

The most popular and influential medical work by Maimonides, the most famous of early Jewish physician/philosophers. This is a collection of about 1500 aphorisms derived from Galen, and divided into 24 treatises. In t…

1490 CE

#8438

Galeni Opera. Edited by Diomedes Bonardus. Translated from the Greek by Nicolaus de Regio, Marcus Toletanus, Petrus de Abano, Accursius Pistoriensis, Guilelmus de Moerbeka, Burgundio of Pisa, Gerardus Cremonensis and Constantinus Africanus. With poem to the author of Johannes Pyrrhus Pincius. 2 vols.

The first printed edition of Galen's writings pulled together texts from numerous translators. ISTC No. ig00037000. Digital facsimile from the Bayerische StaatsBibliothek at this link.

1490 CE

#47

Liber Teisir, sive rectificatio medicationis et regiminis. Antidotarium. Translated from Arabic into Hebrew by Jacobus Hebraeus; into Latin by Paravicius. Add: Averroes: Colliget.

This is a Latin translation from a Hebrew version dating from 1280. Avenzoar, the greatest Muslim physician of the Western Caliphate, described the itch-mite, Sarcoptes scabiei, serous pericarditis, mediastinal absces…

1491 CE

#11871

Corona florida medicinae, sive De conservatione sanitatis.

A popular guide to healthy living, dealing with such topics as sleep, exercise, sex, hygiene, drugs, and especially diet, with an emphasis on the qualities and properties of foods, including their cooking and preparat…

1491 CE

#363

Fasciculus medicinae. Add: Petrus de Tussignano: Consilium pro peste evitanda.

A collection of short medical treatises which circulated widely in manuscript, some as early as the 13th century, and was perhaps attributed by the printers to its former owner, Johannes von Kirchheim, a professor of …

1492 CE

#7791

De venenis. Ed: Dominicus de Canali.

Compiled in the years, 1424-1426, from Greek, Arabic and Latin works on medicine and nature. "Although Ardoini quotes previous authors at great length, his work is no mere compilation, since he does not hesitate to di…

1492 CE

#42

Liber medicinae, sive Regalis dispositio. Tr: Stephanus Antiochenus. Ed: Antonius Vitalis.

The Almaleki, or Liber regius, of Haly Abbas was the leading treatise on medicine for a hundred years, when it was displaced by Avicenna’s Canon. This was the only edition printed in the 15th century. ISTC No. i…

1493 CE

#3666.84

Practica. IN: Liber nonus ad Almansorem (cum expositione Joannis Arculani). Ed: Hieronymus Surianus and Elyanorus Sanseverinus.

Arcolani's Practica, published in this edition of Rhazes with Arcolani's commentary, includes the first documentation for the use of gold for filling diseased teeth. There are also several chapters on diseases of the …

1493 CE–1494 CE

#363.1

Fascicolo di medicina. Tr: Sebastianus Manilius. Add: Petrus de Tussignano: Consilium pro peste evitanda. Mundinus: Anatomia (Ed: Petrus Andreas Morsianus).

This Italian translation contains an entirely new and more extensive series of woodcuts and additional text. The dramatically improved and more realistic illustrations, which were reproduced in the numerous later edit…

1495 CE

#1758.1

De cautelis medicorum.

The first practical treatise on medical ethics. "Following opening remarks on the ideal conduct of the physician, and his duties towards his patients, their relatives, and his own colleagues while avoiding the pervers…

1495 CE–1498 CE

#8395

Aristotle. [Opera omnia]. 5 vols.

Between November 1495 and June 1498 scholar printer Aldus Manutius (Teobaldo Mannucci) of Venice issued the first edition in the original Greek of Aristotle's Opera omnia. The set appeared in five thick quarto or smal…

1496 CE

#12846

Diaria de bello Carolino, with a dedication letter from the author to the Doge Augustinus Barbadicus, Venice 21.3.1496, to the Venetian Councilors Sebastianus Baduarius and Hieronymus Bernardus, Venice 27.8.1496, and two poems on the Gauls and on the work of Quintius Aemilianus Cimbriacus.

An eyewitness account of the retreat from Italy of Charles VIII of France in 1495, written by a physician of Verona, who was chief surgeon of the Venetian troops in the campaign. Although the book is not written prima…

1497 CE

#1790

Breviarium medicinae. Tr: Gerardus Cremonensis. Add: Serapion the Younger: In medicinis simplicibus. Tr: Simon a Cordo Januensis and Abraham Judaeus Tortuosiensis. Galenus: De virtute centaureae; Johannes Platearius: Practica brevis; Matthaeus Platearius: De simplici medicina "Circa instans".

Serapion the Elder and Serapion the Younger were Syrian Christians who wrote in Arabic. Breviarum medicinae was an abridgement of the opinions of the Greek and Arabic physicians concerning diseases and their treatment…

1497 CE

#2363

Libellus de Epidemia, quam uulgo morbum Gallicum uocant,

One of the earliest treatises on syphilis, and one of the few medical books printed by Aldus Manutius in the 15th century. Leoniceno included a good description of syphilitic hemiplegia. He believed that syphilis was …

1497 CE

#39.1

Rhazes: Liber ad Almansorem sive Tractatus medicinae I-X. Liber divisionum. De aegritudinibus juncturarum. De aegritudinibus puerorum. De secretis sive aphorismi. Antidotarium. De praeservatione ab aegritudine lapidis; Introductorium medicinae. De sectionibus et ventosis. Synonyma. De animalibus. Add:Tabula de herbis medicis; Maimonides: Aphorismi; Mesue (the elder): Aphorismi; Hippocrates: Secreta; Prognosticatio secundum lunam; Capsula eburnea; De humana natura; De aere et aqua et regionibus; De pharmaciis; De insomniis; Avenzohar: De cura lapidis.

The best edition of the Opuscula of Rhazes, containing the second printing of the celebrated Liber ad Almansorem, not to be confused with Liber nonus ad Almansorem, as well as De aegritudine puerorum (No. 6313), and o…

1498 CE

#12925

Chirurgia. Add: Brunus Longoburgensis: Chirurgia magna et minor; Bonaventura de Castello: Recepta aquae balnei de Porrecta; Theodoricus Cerviensis: Chirurgia; Rolandus: Libellus de chirurgia; Lanfrancus Mediolanensis: Chirurgia; Rogerius: Practica; Leonardus Bertapalia: Recollectae super quarto libro Avicennae.

This late 15th century edition of the surgery of Guy de Chauliac also contained the first printed editions of various lesser-known medieval surgeries such as those by Bruno da Longoburgo and Leonardo Bertapaglia. It a…

1499 CE

#2069

Dioscorides, De materia medica [Greek]. Add: Pseudo- Dioscorides, De venenis, De venenatis animalibus [Greek]; Add: Nicander, Theriaca; Add: Alexipharmaca; Scholia [Greek].

Nicander was a Greek poet and physician. His Theriaca, in 958 hexameters, dealt with the symptoms and treatment of poisoning by the bites of poisonous animals; the Alexipharmaca considered intoxications through animal…

1500 CE

#53

Aphorismi secundum doctrinam Galeni. Add: Johannes Damascenus [Mesue?]: Aphorismi. Hippocrates: Secreta; Prognosticatio secundum lunam; Capsula eburnea; De humana natura; De aere et aqua et regionibus; De pharmaciis; De insomniis. Avenzohar: De curatione lapidis.

An edition of the Latin translation of Maimonides’ Aphorismi (first published, Venice, 1489), together with a compilation of the works of Mesue, Avenzoar, Galen, etc. Page for page reprint, Venice, 1508. See No.…

1500 CE

#11081

Methodus medendi [and Ad Glauconem.]

Klebs 433.1. These were the first genuine texts of Galen published in print in the original Greek.

1500 CE–1501 CE

#3666.82

Chirurgia cum formis instrumentorum (Tr: Gerardus Cremonensis). IN: Guy de Chauliac: Chirurgia parva. Add: Albulcasis: Chirurgia cum formis instrumentorum. Jesus filius Hali: De oculis (Tr: Dominicus Marrochinus). Canamusali de Baldach: De oculis.

The surgical section of Albucasis’s Altasrif, the first rational, complete and illustrated treatise on surgery and surgical instruments. The author was an Arab Muslim physician and surgeon who lived in Al-Andalu…

1502 CE

#12771

Historia corporis humani sive anatomiae.

"... a descriptive anatomy in the style of Mundinus. It concludes with a final chapter on the praise of dissection. He expresses the need for a clinical examination rather than uncritical trust in the authorities &ldq…

1502 CE

#363.4

Liber anathomie corporis humani & singulorum membrorum illius.

“The first systematic and sufficiently detailed examination of the human body since Mundinus, far outstripping the latter in scientific accuracy” (Lind, Pre-Vesalian anatomy, 10, also 141-56). See also Nos…

1510 CE

#11034

La cyrogia di Miastro Bruno: Expertissimo in quella. Tradutta in vulgare.

Bruno da Longoburgo studied surgery in Bologna or possibly Padua, and practiced in the latter city, where he helped found the University of Padua. His Chirurgia magna, completed in 1252, antedates those of Lanfranch, …

1517 CE

#7111

Oppianou Alieuticon biblia pente. Tou autou Kynegetikon biblia tessara. Oppiani De piscibus libri V. Eiusdem De venatione libri IV. Oppiani De piscibus Laurentio Lippio interprete libri V.

First edition in print of Oppian of Apamea's Cynegetica (Κυνηγετικά/KynÄ“getiká, 'On Hunting' ), a didactic poem in 2144 hexameters and 4 books, dedicated to t…

1519 CE

#2666

HOC.IN.VOLVMINE.ACTVARI.GRÆCI auctoris medici praestantissimi digesti sunt de urinis libri septem de græco sermone in latinum conversi: in quibus omnia: que de urinis dici possunt: sive practicam sive Theoricam: sive cognitionem: sive prognostica quæsiveris: doctissime tractata continentur, Unde lector optime: si diligenter his libris infadaveris glumam paucă ex aliorsi lectionet: ex hac ipsa grans multum te colle gisse cognoveris.

The most complete medieval treatise on urinoscopy, translated from the Greek by Ambrogio Leone (1458/9- 1525) professor of medicine in Naples). Johannes Actuarius, the last of the great Byzantine physicians, was first…

1520 CE–1522 CE

#8344

[Vol. 1:] Primus Avi. Canon. Avicenna, medicorum principis, Canonum liber (translatus a Gerardo Cremonensi), una cum lucidissima Gentilis Fulgi. expositione, qui merito is Speculator appellatus, additis annotationibus omnium auctoritatum and priscorum and recentiorum auctorum (edente Barthomomeo Tantuccio) .... - [Vol. 2:] Secundus Canon Avic., Cum exquisitissima Gentilis Fulg. expositione. Demum Plinii auctoritates, secundum annotata capita in de Simplicibus nuperrime addite. - [Vol.3:] Tertius Can. Avic., Cum amplissima Gentilis Fulgi. expositione. Demum commentaria nuper addita, videlicet Jacobi de Partibus super "Fen" VI and XIIII. Item Jo. Matthei de Gradi super "Fen" XXII, quia Gentilis in eis defecit. - [Vol. 4:]: Secunda pars Gentilis super tertio Avic. Cum supplementis Jacobi de Partibus, Parisiensis, ac Joannis Matthei de Gradi, Mediolanensis, ubi Gentilis vel breviter vel tacite pertransivit. - [Vol.5:] Quartus Canon Avicenna, cum preclara Gentilis Fulginatis exhibits. Thadei item Florentini expositio super secunda "Fen" ejusdem. Gentilis Florentini iterum super duos primos tractatus quinte "Fen". Quintus etiam Canon, cum ejusdem Gentilis Fulginatis lucidissima exhibits. Canticorum liber, cum commento Averroys, translatus ex arabico a magistro Armegando Blasii, Libellus de Viribus cordis translatus ab Arnaldo de Villanova). Omnia accuratissime revisa atque castigata ....

The commentary by Gentile da Foligno upon Avicenna's Canon was among the most influential medical texts of the Later Middle Ages. See Roger K. French, Canonical medicine: Gentile da Foligno and scholasticism (Leiden: …

1525 CE

#27

Librorum pars prima [-quinta] … 5 vols.

Greek editio princeps of Galen's complete works in Greek, edited by the Paduan professor G. B. Oppizzoni [Opizo] with the help of John Clement , Edward Wotton, William Rose (ca. 1490-1525), and Thomas Lupset, all Engi…

1525 CE

#12773

Opuscula nuper in lucem aedita quorum nomina proxima habentur pagella.

Thomaeus's commentary on Aristotle's Mechanica includes an explanation of the action of a dental forceps illustrated with two small woodcut illustrations on page XXXXI. This was the first printed dental illustration. …

1525 CE

#6815

Peri ton idion biblion [Latin: De Libris propriis liber, On his own writings] and Peri tes taxeos ton idion biblion [Latin: De ordine librorum suorum liber, On the arrangement of his own writings]. IN: Galeni librorum pars prima-quinta, Part IV.

The extent of Claudius Galen's written work was so great that Galen himself felt the need to provide a bibliography organizing and explaining his own writings. He also felt the need to distinguish between works that h…

1526 CE

#6931

Opera omnia.

First edition of the Greek text of the works of Hippocrates, issued by Aldus Manutius of Venice one year after the first complete edition in Latin was issued in Rome. The Aldine text was edited by Aldus's brother-in-l…

1527 CE

#7202

Avicenne liber canonis medicinae. Cum castigationibus Andree Bellunensis.

Revised and improved text of the Canon and other works of Avicenna by Andrea Alpago of Belluno, who had acquired a deep understanding of both the language and the subject during his thirty years of service as physicia…

1527 CE

#2365

Liber de morbo gallico.

Includes a description of the neurological manifestations of syphilis. Though this work bears the date 1507, Peter Krivatsy, provided evidence that this edition was printed in 1527. See Krivatsy, "Nicola Massa's Liber…

1528 CE

#36

In principio singulorum librorum omnia indicantur, quae in eo libro continentur. [Title in Greek and Latin].

Paul of Aegiina was the most famous physician and surgeon in the Byzantine Empire during the seventh century, and probably thereafter. According to Eugene F. Rice, "Paulus Aegineta", Catalogus translationum et comment…

1533 CE

#7793

Tou sophōtatou Philē, Stichoi iambikoi peri zōōn idiotētos.

The Greek text edited by Aristoboulos Apostolis (1465-1536), who became Arsenios, Archbishop of Monemvasia in 1514. Philes' Greek text was reedited by Joachim Camerarius with Latin translation by G. Bermann and first …

1534 CE

#33

Bιβλίων ὶαтριкω̂ν тομος ά. Librorum medicinalium tomus primus, primi scilicet libri octo nunc primum in lucem editi.

First printed edition in the original Greek of the first half of the Tetrabiblion, issued in Venice by the heirs of Aldus Manutius. In the Tetrabiblion Aetius collected together works of other men which might have bee…

1535 CE

#4278

De lapide renum curiosum opusculum nuperrime in lucem aeditum. Eiusdem De lapide vesicae per incisionem extrahendo sequitur aureus libellus.

Marianus Sanctus Barolitanus popularized the operation of lithotomy introduced by the father of Giovanni Vigo of Rapallo. This method passed on to Giovanni di Romani and from him to Marianus. It became known as the &l…

1536 CE

#5370

De malo recentiorum medicorum medendi usu libellus.

Includes (cap. XXXVI) an early account of typhus, morbus pulicaris. English translation in Major, Classic descriptions of disease, 3rd ed., Springfield: Charles C Thomas, 1945, p. 163.