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ALPINI, Prospero.
De medicina Aegyptiorum.
Venice; Francesco de Franceschi, 1591.
£4950.00
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FIRST EDITION 4to. ff. [xii] 150 [xxv], lacking last blank. 'Francheschi's "Pax" device on the title-page. Three woodcuts…in book 2…showing Egyptian cupping glasses. Two full-page woodcuts…the first showing the process of scarification of the legs, the second a treatment for dropsy. There is a diagram of a leg on leaf M7v. Two headpieces…grotesque tailpiece. Initial C with a figure of Cronus, historiated G, foliated initials in several sizes. Roman letter, small roman marginalia' (Mortimer). Occasional fingermarks. A very good copy in tree calf c. 1800, gilt neo-classical ornaments to spine. First edition of 'one of the earliest European studies of non-Western medicine. Alpini's work dealt primarily with contemporary (i.e. Turkish) practices observed during a three-year sojourn in Egypt. These included moxibustion--the production of counter-irritation by placing burning or heated material on the skin--which Alpini introduced into European medicine... Alpini also mentioned coffee for the first time in this work' (Norman) He also introduced the banana and baobab to Europeans.
Preceded by an extensive subject index and followed by an exhaustive alphabetical one, the text, divided into four books, discusses i.a. the state of Egyptian medicine, the reasons behind the unusual longevity of the Egyptian people, epidemics and sicknesses that had affected Egypt, methods of and reasons for blood-letting, Eunuchs, varieties of cupping glasses, techniques of scarification, cures for dysentery, the range and extent of surgery available and of drugs employed, the use of softening baths to enhance the appearance of the body, the composition and administration of theriacs (obeying the hair-of-the-dog principle with regard to poisoning), and syringes. He also mentions the use of wine in medicine: "l'auteur parle assez longement du vin, en médecin, sans grande originalité. Au chapitre xii du livre I, il est question de l'excellence des eaux du Nil et de la plus grande excellence du vin au point thérapeutique. Mais cet ouvrage est surtout intéressant comme étant le premier où il ait été question du café." (Simon). In very readable Latin, it provides a fascinating insight into early homeopathy and surgical and cosmetic procedures. The text also gives some insight into the Egyptian lifestyle, talking at length about its situation with regards to its near neighbours, both geographically and ideologically. The unusual degree of specialization of Egyptian medics is also discussed, with doctors said to become experts in individual organs and areas, e.g. ears, lungs, so as to maximise their wisdom.
'Alpini, an Italian physician and botanist, graduated from Padua and travelled through Greece, Crete and Egypt from 1580-1583. Following his travels, he returned to Padua where he remained as professor of botany and director of the botanical garden until his death. This work…was one of several major books that resulted from his travels and is a comprehensive account of medicine as it was practised in Egypt.' (Heirs of Hippocrates).
BM STC It. 20. Norman 39. Adams A802. Mortimer It. I:16. Heirs of Hippocrates 240 (1646 edn.). Osler 1796. NLM/Durling 178. Wellcome 232. Garrison-Morton 6468: 'First important work on the history of Egyptian medicine.' Simon II 42. Not in Vicaire or Bitting.
L888
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